CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu will take part in a forum on the future of coal at the University of Charleston on Sept. 8.

Chu accepted an invitation to the event from Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who also will participate.

Chu will speak on carbon capture and storage, or CCS, a process that takes carbon dioxide produced by the burning of coal and -- rather than venting it into the atmosphere -- stores it deep underground.

Thousands of the world's scientists agree that carbon pollution is responsible for the warming Earth.

Many energy experts agree that if coal is to remain a leader in energy production, new technologies, such as CCS, need to be implemented soon.

Rockefeller, who is co-sponsoring the Carbon Capture and Storage Deployment Act of 2010, said, ". . . For our state and nation to remain strong and competitive, we must have a real and urgent plan to invest in new technologies, especially carbon capture and storage."

A partnership between coal producers and coal-burning industries is essential in this effort, Rockefeller said.

"I joined in asking Secretary Chu to come to West Virginia for this important forum because he shares our commitment to clean coal technology," Rockefeller said.

This will be the third forum at the University of Charleston in the past year involving the future of the coal industry. Last fall, UC hosted a debate on "cap and trade" legislation and, in January, environmentalist Robert Kennedy Jr. squared off with Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship.

Chu has a doctorate degree in physics from the University of California at Berkeley.

The law firm of Robinson & McElwee is the lead sponsor for the Sept. 8 event. It is being co-sponsored by American Electric Power, the West Virginia Roundtable, the United Mine Workers of America, The Charleston Gazette and the University of Charleston.

Details of the event will be listed as they become available. Check www.ucwv.edu or www.wvgazette.com.