SJ0053 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0053 LRB097 20071 GRL 65849 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The United States Department of Energy has announced its intentions to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement for the management and operation of an Energy Storage Hub, estimated to be funded at $20 million per year for 5 years; Congress has appropriated $20 million in FY 2012 to initially fund the Hub; and

WHEREAS, The Energy Storage Hub will bring together world-class research talent to focus on the grand challenges of energy storage, finding new green, cost-effective ways to store energy from renewable resources, and leverage smart grid investments; and

WHEREAS, The educational benefit for the faculty and students of Illinois universities and staff from Illinois companies will gain much from the proximity of the Hub in Illinois in developing collaborations for research in chemical technologies and materials science; and

WHEREAS, The siting of the Energy Storage Hub in Illinois will help speed the pace of innovation in this critical new industry and will position Illinois as a national leader in green energy technologies and job creation; and

WHEREAS, Scientists and engineers at Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, along with their partners, have already laid the conceptual groundwork for the operation for the Energy Storage Hub; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a proven record of support for Argonne and Illinois universities for projects such as the Energy Storage Hub; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we pledge our support for Argonne National Laboratory and its bid to be the home of the Energy Storage Hub, and state our intention to provide support as necessary in order for the Hub to be located at Argonne; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we strongly encourage the United States Department of Energy to consider Argonne and the Illinois university in light of their expertise and experience with the concepts and operation of the Energy Storage Hub, which make the State of Illinois a natural fit for the location of these exciting new technologies with the potential to improve quality of life and create new jobs; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary Steven Chu of the U.S. Department of Energy, the members of the Illinois congressional delegation, and Governor Pat Quinn.