Murray, Inslee Announce New Research and Development Funding for Washington Clean Energy Industry

(Washington, D.C.) – This
afternoon, Senator Patty Murray and Representative Jay Inslee announced a new
Department of Energy grant of $30 million for Belleuve-based Ramgen Power
Systems.  The grant is part of $575 million in funding for 22 different
projects in 15 states that will accelerate carbon capture and storage research
and development for industrial sources.  The funding comes from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which Senator Murray and
Representative Inslee played key roles in passing. 

“To
create jobs in Washington state we have to invest in ingenuity in Washington
state,” said Senator Murray. “This funding will help our state stay on the
cutting edge of research and development and create family-wage jobs for
programmers, technicians, analysts, machinists, and other critical support
staff. I will continue to fight to ensure our state is leading the charge
toward a clean energy economy.”

“Companies in Washington state continue to lead the way in clean
energy technology research and development, creating important jobs in emerging
industries.  This funding will make sure we stay on the forefront of this
innovative industry nationally and globally,” said Rep. Inslee.  “Our
long-term goal is to protect our environment by reducing polluting greenhouse
gas emissions, as well as helping to clean up emissions from industrial
sources.  More importantly, winning this grant will build on the high
level of research and development already taking place in Washington and help
propel our economic growth.”

The
$30 million in project funding will go to Ramgen’s Supersonic Shock Wave
Compression and Engine Technology.  Over the past few years, Ramgen has
shown that their advanced compression system can compress carbon dioxide that
can then be pumped into the ground, a process known as Carbon Capture and
Sequestration (CCS).  The funding will help expand Ramgen’s R & D by
exploring the potential benefits of incorporating their supersonic compression
technology into an engine and if it can be scaled up for other CCS purposes