IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                    

August 16, 2007  

For more information, contact:

Rep. Carl Holmes, 620/624-7361

Rep. Larry Powell, 620/275-6789

TRIP TO CHINA OFFERS LAWMAKERS

ENERGY PERSPECTIVE

Topeka – Kansas House of Representatives Carl Holmes (R-Liberal) and Larry Powell (R-Garden City) recently returned from a trip to China sponsored by the Energy Council of America. 

“How energy is consumed and the pollution it produces is a world-wide concern,” Rep. Holmes said.  “China is one of the world’s largest oil, gas, and coal consumers and thus one of its largest polluters.  This trip gave lawmakers from the United States our first chance to meet with Chinese officials to begin talking about ways they can improve their country’s air quality and to share what we are doing to improve ours.”

Rep. Powell pointed out U.S. energy companies and states like Kansas may be able to export technology to China to help them clean up their coal-fired power plants.

“When we landed in Beijing, the visibility east was about 1/8 of a mile because of the smog,” Rep. Powell said.  “In Beijing they are adding 1500 cars per day to already clogged streets.  The people we met with want to clean this up. They are going to remove many of the cars for the Olympics and shut down the factories around the city for the games.  Simple steps but I believe they are headed in the right direction.”

Rep. Powell also said China might be interest in investing in Kansas.

“China is a very large and growing economy and I think it would be better for us to do business with them than fight with them,” Powell said.

Rep. Holmes is the chairman of the House Energy and Utilities Committee.  Rep. Powell chairs the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Committee.  Both serve on the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and are members of the Energy Council Executive Committee.

Formed in 1975, the Energy Council is a legislative organization of energy-producing states, four Canadian provinces and the nation of Venezuela.  Kansas is one of the nation’s top ten oil and gas producers.  The purpose of the council is to participate in the development of federal energy and related-environmental policy, assist member states and provinces in developing such policy, and promote dialogue on energy issues at all levels.

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