To watch a video of Senator Manchin’s opening remarks, please click here.

To watch a video of Senator Manchin’s questioning, please click here.

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, welcomed Jim Wood from the West Virginia University Energy Institute as a witness at today’s energy innovation hearing. The hearing also featured witnesses from the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Futures Initiative, Bipartisan Policy Center, ClearPath, and Council on Competitiveness.

“This hearing is particularly important because innovation is a critical piece of how this Committee can contribute to the pursuit of technological energy manufacturing solutions that will help reduce carbon emissions and address climate challenges. I’m especially pleased to have Jim Wood here to talk about the cutting edge solutions that West Virginia University is working on,” Senator Manchin said, in part.

During the hearing, Senator Manchin questioned Wood about the need for the United States to lead the world in bringing clean energy technology to the market.

“As far as on the work WVU Energy Institute has been doing on extracting rare earth minerals that we need so desperately in our country - because right now we are depending on China - how is that coming along? And how long until you think that can be commercialized?” Senator Manchin asked.

“It’s coming along a lot faster than I would have thought six months ago,” Wood said. “We have produced better results than we told the Department of Energy we would produce when we got the cooperation agreement signed. I’m very optimistic that this process, at least as it relates to mine waste, is going to be commercial in a year.”

To watch the hearing in full, please click here.  

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