Shannon Angielski, a Principal in the firm’s Government Relations practice and the Executive Director of CURC, announced today that CURC has expanded the scope of their mission and has adopted the new name  as the Carbon Utilization Research Council.   In response to a variety of factors impacting the technology needs of U.S. power generators, CURC’s leadership decided to expand the focus of CURC to include natural gas technology evaluation to the coalition’s mission.    The expanded focus will enable the coalition to deliver technologies for the nation to continue to enjoy the economic benefits from abundant and low cost fossil fuels.  

Full text of the CURC’s press release announcing their rebrand is below:

WASHINGTON, DC –The Coal Utilization Research Council, a long-standing industry coalition dedicated to the advancement of coal technology, announced today that it has adopted an expanded scope to add natural gas technology evaluation to its mission.  Rebranded under the new name, the Carbon Utilization Research Council (CURC), CURC will continue its commitment to advancing fossil energy technology solutions and increasing collaborative efforts to support fossil fuel technology development.

“Fossil fuels play a critical role in meeting our nation’s energy needs,” says Barbara Walz, CURC co-chair and Senior Vice President of Policy and Compliance at Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc., “CURC’s expanded mission captures the importance of moving technology forward to ensure U.S. generators have options for our current and future fossil fuel fleets.”

“The rebrand of the organization is timely and aligns with President Trump’s agenda to reset energy policy” says CURC Co-Chair Michael Flannigan, Senior Vice President of Global Government Affairs at Peabody Energy.  “CURC will continue its substantive research and thoughtful advocacy in support of our coal and gas resources – broadening our scope is a natural step that will strengthen our efforts across the board.”

CURC was established in 1998 to serve as an industry voice and advocate for technology pathways for the cost-effective use of coal resources in order to meet national energy needs while also achieving environmental and other societal goals. In response to a variety of factors impacting the technology needs of U.S. power generators, CURC’s expanded focus will enable the coalition to deliver technologies for the nation to continue to enjoy the economic benefits from abundant and low cost fossil fuels. 

“CURC plays a unique role in bringing together players across the entire energy value chain – producers, developers, manufacturers, researchers, end-users and trades – in support of advanced fossil fuel technologies and a cleaner energy future,” notes Deck Slone, outgoing CURC co-chair and Senior Vice President of Strategy and Public Policy at Arch Coal.  “By expanding CURC’s mission and broadening our coalition, we believe we can accelerate the rate of technological progress markedly.  We are encouraged by the response to the expanded scope to date, and look forward to building upon this momentum.”

Regis Repko, Vice-Chair of CURC and Senior Vice President and Chief Fossil/Hydro Officer of Duke Energy says “Low cost, low carbon generating options will provide a diverse and balanced generation portfolio where consumers benefit from reliable and affordable energy. CURC has a proven track record of making sure those technology solutions are developed, as evidenced by three decades of growth in low cost fossil fuel electricity generation that has delivered substantially lower emissions.”

Advancing Fossil Energy Solutions

CURC’s new tagline, “Advancing Fossil Energy Solutions”, embodies CURC’s belief that future energy needs can best be met with collaborative research by the public and private sector to expand technology choices for private sector deployment. 

“Advancing environmentally responsible fossil energy solutions has always been the central mission of CURC, and our rebrand reinforces our commitment to that mission,” says Shannon Angielski, Executive Director of CURC.  “Benefitting from a broader coalition, CURC members will continue to work together to design collaborative programs and advocate for federal programs and policies that are needed to support technology development and deployment to meet our nation’s need for low cost, reliable energy.”

New Website

CURC will be launching a new website, located at www.curc.net.