* WHAT :* 3 rd US-China Clean Energy Workshop, hosted by the West Virginia University National Research Center for Coal&Energy and coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy. The workshop is designed to bring together Chinese leaders of business and government in the energy sector with U.S. business people to for opportunities to serve the growing Chinese energy market. The goal is to help China meet its growing demands for coal-based electric power and transportation fuels in environmentally sound ways by promoting state-of-the-art coal-based technologies available through U.S. firms.

* WHEN :* Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 18-19 (speakers will be available for interviews Monday morning)

* WHERE :* Assembly Rooms A and B, WVU National Research Center for Coal&Energy, Evansdale Campus

* WHO :* Featured speakers will be available for interviews on the morning of Oct. 18 and include:

David C. Hardesty Jr., WVU President, will speak on Oct. 18 at 8:15 a.m.

Rita A. Bajura, Director, National Energy Technology Laboratory, speaks at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 on behalf of Mark Maddox, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy �€As NETL Director, Ms. Bajura oversees the implementation of major science and technology development programs to resolve the environmental, supply and reliability constraints of producing and using fossil resources. For the past 90 years, NETL has been at the forefront of research to advance fossil energy exploration, supply and end-use technologies.

Mr. Justin R. (Judd) Swift, deputy assistant U.S. Secretary of Energy for international affairs in the Office of Fossil Energy , 8:35 a.m. talk, Oct. 18�€As the deputy assistant U.S. Secretary of Energy for international affairs in the Office of Fossil Energy, Judd Swift’s responsibilities include oversight of export and import activities for the Office of Coal and Power Systems and the Office of Natural Gas and Petroleum Technology. He advises Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary

Mark Maddox on international considerations and plans and directs the offices international activities.

Bruce W. Blakeman, Special Counsel to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Beijing, China , speaks at 9:05 a.m. Oct. 18�€As the Special Counsel to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Mr. Blakeman represents the

Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans and International Trade

Administration Under Secretary Grant Aldonas in China on economic and trade affairs. He is based in the Beijing Embassy. His areas of responsibility are to monitor China WTO ascension, assess Chinese market access policy development and develop strategies for U.S. company export promotion to China.

Steven Zou, President, Asian American Coal Inc ., speaks at 10 a.m. Oct. 18�€In the late �€~80s and early �€~90s, Mr. Zou (pronouncedZoe) came to WVU to study in the internationally renowned Department of Geology and Geography. Mr. Zou assembled a group of U.S. investors with West Virginia links to form a coalbed methane company called CBM Energy Associates (CBMEA), and started coalbed methane exploration and development ventures in Shanxi and Northeast China in 1994. He has been the chief architect for CBMEA , CBMCA, AACI and most China coal and CBM projects, including Hedong CBM JV , Fuxin CBM JV , Daning coal Mining JV, the proposed Gaohe coal mining JV, and Mabi CBM operation.

Officials from Shanxi Province Development&Reform Commission �€Shanxi (shanshe) Province shares many similarities with West Virginia. Shanxis backbone industries include coal, electric power, metallurgy, machine-building, chemical industry. The Shanxi people are known for their diligence, honesty and wisdom, and they are good at farming as well as business.Shanxi merchantshave won a good reputation throughout China. The hospitality of the Shanxi people is praised by businessmen at home and abroad. More efforts are being made to further improve the investment environment, optimize the structure of foreign investment, actively guide the foreign investors to focus on seven aspects, namely: the construction of fundamental facilities and fundamental industries; the reform of state-owned big and medium enterprises; high technologies such as new materials, microelectronics, biological engineering, etc.; comprehensive utilization of agricultural resources and export-oriented agriculture; energy industry and raw material industry, especially the intensive processing of coal and coke; projects which lead to products that are strong in export and profitable; and the development of tourism.