Congressman Nick Lampson Announces $375 Million Contract to Manage Federal Energy Research Program in Sugar Land.

SUGAR LAND, Texas -- Congressmen Nick Lampson (D-Stafford) and Ralph Hall (R-Rockwall) confirmed that the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), a research management consortium headquartered in Sugar Land, has finalized and signed a 10-year, $375 million contract to manage research and development of new technology for natural gas and oil exploration and production. RPSEA has been negotiating this contract with the U.S. Department of Energy since it was selected as the program manager in May of 2006 and will award research contracts to universities, research institutions, national laboratories and industry partners.

Lampson stated, "Our nation must turn our focus and work towards a sustainable energy future. This program will provide critical and affordable energy supplies for consumers as we transition to alternative sources of domestic fuel."

Melanie Kenderdine, Vice President of the Gas Technology Institute and RPSEA Board Member, stated "Congressman Lampson has already been very helpful at informing his colleagues in Congress about the importance of this valuable research program in helping to meet the nation's demand for affordable natural gas. We are grateful for Congressman Lampson and Congressman Hall's tremendous leadership efforts to increase natural gas supplies and serve American consumers."

Congressman Hall introduced the original legislation in 2001 to provide research and development funding for natural gas supplies. "I am pleased that the Department of Energy has awarded the contract to begin this vital research program," Hall said. "This initiative will keep Texas at the forefront of energy research, and the development of new technologies and resources will help sustain our nation's energy needs."

The new natural gas and oil supply R&D program, which serves as the basis for the contract, was created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and signed into law by President Bush in the summer of 2005. The program - funded from royalties that industry pays to produce oil and gas from federal lands - is specifically designed to reduce America's dependence on foreign energy sources and lower energy costs for consumers. It will also provide substantial benefits to American consumers by enabling the development of natural gas and other petroleum reserves from ultra-deepwater and unconventional onshore provinces in the United States.

Lampson continued, "This new research and development program represents a significant opportunity for Texas to make new contributions to meeting the energy needs of our nation. American consumers will be the beneficiaries of additional domestic supplies of energy that will result from RPSEA managed research. As the hosts for this prestigious new program, Sugar Land and Fort Bend County will serve as the nexus of new and critical energy technology development."

RPSEA is a non-profit national consortium with 90 members, including 19 of the nation's premier research universities, five national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers with activities in 21 states. RPSEA was founded in 2002 by five research universities and the Gas Technology Institute, a non-profit research laboratory. To administer the program, RPSEA will manage a research program of $37.5 million per year and, through a competitive process, award research contracts to the nation's universities, research institutions, national laboratories and industry partners.

Press may contact Melanie Kenderdine, Vice President of the Gas Technology Institute and RPSEA Board Member, for additional questions regarding RPSEA at 202-747-0516 or [e-mail].

More information regarding RPSEA can be found at www.rpsea.org.