HB68

House Bill 68: **Reduce use of Fossil Fuels** Sponsors: Austin Reitz (Democrat, Nebraska) (AReitz) and Nick Lindsey (Republican, Kansas) (NLindsey) Issue Category: Energy, Environment, and Agriculture

Purpose: House Bill 68's purpose is to replace the nations use of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas, with renewable energy such as biomass. If fossil fuels are slowly replaced by biomass energy, the need for foreign oil will decrease. The new power plants will be made from the recycle material from the mining and drilling equipment. Without a need for fossil fuels, the coal and oil power plants will have no purpose, and will be recycled for building the new biomass power plants. Despite the fact that coal and oil miners will lose a few jobs, they will work again, either in the biomass plants or anywhere they choose. When the new job openings have occurred, the old miners will be given the first chance to gain the job. More than just the jobs occupied by ex-miners will be created causing people to have more work opportunities. In short, House Bill 68 is trying to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy, making the benefits endless.

Eligibility: When the new jobs in the biomass power plants come, people looking for jobs will gather. This bill applies to almost everyone. But before anyone gets a new job, the miners and other people who used to work in fossil fuel-related areas would get an offer for the new jobs first.

Terms and Benefits: 1. Replace fossil fuel power plants with biomass energy power plants. The buildings will be used to house the new equipment. 2. Melt down old mining/fossil fuel processing equipment. The molten metal will be used to form new equipment. 3. The new machinery and biomass (from landfills) will be transported to the power plants via grapple trucks. 4. The machinery will covert the biomass (garbage, rotting crops, bio-fuel) into steam to turn the turbines, thus generating energy, or fuel made from pure hydrogen released in the microbial electrolysis process (the process in which biomass is put in acid and releases hydrogen which can be used to make clean, renewable fuel). 5. The ex-miners with be given the chance to take the new job, or seek employment elsewhere. 6. The use of foreign oil will also ground to a halt, now that Americans are using __American__ renewable fuel. With the use of foreign oil going down the drains, this also limits national debt.

Fiscal Impact: The fiscal impact of House Bill 68 is as follows: 1. Estimated start-up cost of [less than] $35 Million for converting the coal, oil, petroleum, and natural gas power plants to biomass. 2. Workers wages: currently $21.57 an hour for coal miners. if they remain in the coal industry, their wages will decrease by 13%. 3. Grapple trucks and moving equipment (needed for moving the equipment and biomass from landfills and equipment producing businesses) Rental Cost: $150 per load 4. Cost of new machinery (Turbines, Generators, electrolysis machine): $1000 per machine 5. Fuel: Because we can't run the trucks of our 'clean fuel' yet, we have to pay for crude gasoline, or diesel. $3.83 per gallon Total: Cost: $69007.27per plant converted, but due to the large funds from President Obama, there is exactly $34930992.70 left over. Thus, not needing tax payer's money for this bill.