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This volume deals with the problems and procedures inherent in the development of the Beluga Coal District. Socio-economic implications of the development and management alternatives are discussed. A review of permits and approvals necessary for the initial development of Beluga Coal Field is presented. Major land tenure issues in the Beluga Coal District as well as existing transportation routes and proposed routes and sites are discussed. The various coal technologies which might be employed at Beluga are described. Transportation options and associated costs of transporting coal from the mine site area to a connecting point with a major, longer distance transportation made and of transporting coal both within and outside (exportation) the state are discussed. Some environmental issues involved in the development of the Beluga Coal Field are presented. (DMC)

Highlights opportunities using GPS travel survey techniques and systems simulation tools for plug-in hybrid vehicle design improvements, which maximize the benefits of energy efficiency technologies.

Biannual newsletter for the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities initiative. The newsletter includes feature stories on electric vehicle deployment, renewable natural gas, and articles on Clean Cities coalition successes across the country.

The railroad industry plays a vital role in transporting goods, raw materials, and food necessary to the well being of the population and necessary to facilitate the operations of our industrial economy. Because of the vital part that the railroad industry plays in the economy and because of its ability to move goods with relatively small amounts of fuel, the US ERDA embarked on a study to determine the role of the Federal government in promoting conservation in the industry and in freight movements in general. Toward this final objective, the study compiled a description of the railroad industry, its structure, equipment, facilities, economics, and energy consumption; compiled a description of the regulation of the industry and considered ways in which the regulation has affected fuel consumption by the railroads; and analyzed candidates for fuel efficiency improvement and evaluated them on the basis of economics and the likelihood of their adoption by industry. A description of the industry, an analysis of energy consumption by the industry, a discussion of mechanisms for evaluating efficiency improvement proposals, a description and evaluation of conservation efficiency improvement proposals, a description and evaluation of conservation opportunities, and a discussion of recommended activities are included.

Railroad equipment and operating practices were largely developed in an era during which the price of fuel was a relatively minor part of the cost of railroad operations; however, fuel has now become a scarce and expensive resource. Although many opportunities exist for installing new equipment and operating practices that will result in fuel conservation, cost and market factors can promote or retard the rate at which changes are adopted, and only limited technology may be available for use in conservation applications. Conservation opportunities are identified and potential technological and operational improvements are described that can be introduced; the process of introducing new technology in the railroad industry is analyzed; the future of the railroad industry is assessed; and research and development that will contribute to the adoption of energy conservation equipment or processes in the industry are identified.

This report details the petroleum savings and vehicle emissions reductions achieved by the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities program in 2010. The report also details other performance metrics, including the number of stakeholders in Clean Cities coalitions, outreach activities by coalitions and national laboratories, and alternative fuel vehicles deployed.

Biomass is uniquely able to supply renewable and sustainable liquid transportation fuels. In the near term, the Biomass program has a 2012 goal of cost competitive cellulosic ethanol. However, beyond 2012, there will be an increasing need to provide liquid transportation fuels that are more compatible with the existing infrastructure and can supply fuel into all transportation sectors, including aviation and heavy road transport. Microbial organisms are capable of producing a wide variety of fuel and fuel precursors such as higher alcohols, ethers, esters, fatty acids, alkenes and alkanes. This report surveys liquid fuels and fuel precurors that can be produced from microbial processes, but are not yet ready for commercialization using cellulosic feedstocks. Organisms, current research and commercial activities, and economics are addressed. Significant improvements to yields and process intensification are needed to make these routes economic. Specifically, high productivity, titer and efficient conversion are the key factors for success.

Summary of The Energy Smart Guide to Campus Cost Savings, an energy efficiency guidebook for College and University business and facility managers.

This project develops Fuel-Flexible Reburning (FFR), which combines conventional reburning and Advanced Reburning (AR) technologies with an innovative method of delivering coal as the reburning fuel. The FFR can be retrofit to existing boilers and can be configured in several ways depending on the boiler, coal characteristics, and NO{sub x} control requirements. Fly ash generated by the technology will be a saleable byproduct for use in the cement and construction industries. FFR can also reduce NO{sub x} by 60%-70%, achieving an emissions level of 0.15 lb/10{sup 6} Btu in many coal-fired boilers equipped with Low NO{sub x} Burners. Total process cost is expected to be one third to one half of that for Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). Activities during reporting period included design, manufacture, assembly, and shake down of the coal gasifier and pilot-scale testing of the efficiency of coal gasification products in FFR. Tests were performed in a 300 kW Boiler Simulator Facility. Several coals with different volatiles content were tested. Data suggested that incremental increase in the efficiency of NO{sub x} reduction due to the gasification was more significant for less reactive coals with low volatiles content. Experimental results also suggested that the efficiency of NO{sub x} reduction in FFR was higher when air was used as a transport media. Up to 14% increase in the efficiency of NO{sub x} reduction in comparison with that of basic reburning was achieved with air transport. Temperature and residence time in the gasification zone also affected the efficiency of NO{sub x} reduction.