Without question, the first quarter of the 21st century is an exciting time in the world of energy. The nation's push to develop sound energy policy is strong. The need to curb CO2 emissions is urgent. The call for clean, affordable power is clear. This is also an exciting time for energy researchers. The challenges we strive to overcome require far-reaching solutions: designing and building next-generation, near-zero-emission power plants; capturing, utilizing, and storing manmade carbon emissions; maximizing efficiencies; and getting the most from our energy resources with the least impact on our air, land, and waterways. At the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), we are confident in our ability to help America meet 21st-century challenges linked to fossil fuel recovery and use. After all, we have been meeting such challenges for generations. From mine safety to synthetic fuels, acid rain to mercury control, enhanced oil production to unconventional natural gas recovery, the legacy of public benefits realized by our programs stands as a testimony to the importance of our research and the careful means by which we steward federal investment in those programs. Today, we continue to address complex energy issues-reducing the environmental impact of shale gas recovery, mitigating carbon emissions, utilizing CO2 to enhance our nation's oil and natural gas resources, and more. Our research is making a fundamental difference to the welfare of our nation. It also gives NETL and our stakeholders an opportunity to enhance our citizens' quality of life for generations to come. In 2011, NETL realized a host of technical accomplishments and received recognition for our contributions to the energy arena. A full review of those achievements is available in the 2011 NETL Accomplishments, which contains the realized and estimated benefits provided by the programs implemented by our lab through the Office of Fossil Energy.