Carbon Capture and Sequestration

On 31 January the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing “to receive testimony on carbon capture, transportation, and sequestration and related bills, S.2323 and S.2144”. General consensus between Members is that America is not likely to reduce its dependence on coal energy in the near future because it is inexpensive and domestically available, and so emissions from coal power plants must be decreased. One of the most sought-after technologies for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants is the capture and sequestration of CO₂.

Testimony included positive assessments of progress towards a cohesive U.S. carbon capture and sequestration program. According to the Honorable C. Stephen Allred, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is currently preparing a national assessment of geological capacity for carbon storage with the USGS, DOE, and EPA. The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates there are hundreds of years of domestic geologic CO₂ storage space in the U.S. and Canada. The DOE also reported that current technology is adequate for CO₂ capture and storage, but that costs are the limiting factor.

However, Members addressed major concerns still plaguing legislation. One concern is the permanency of CO₂ storage. The EPA says it will define a necessary length of storage time to be considered “permanent” and will require any carbon storage method to ensure CO₂ remains in place at least that long. Another issue is the possibility that CO₂ placed in the pore space of rocks will move over time, which is especially a concern if the CO₂ moves into land owned by a different entity than the land in which the CO₂ is permitted to be stored. Stephen Allred of DOI noted that deciding who owns CO₂ that is sequestered, and thus who is liable for any future problems caused by that CO₂, is needed before any carbon capture legislation can be approved. CO₂ storage near bodies of water raises additional hazards and liability questions that need to be researched and addressed in regulations. Currently the permitting process for carbon storage has not been completed or tested, but the basic rules are in place.

A large amount of research still needs to be done to enable large-scale carbon capture and sequestration at affordable prices and to resolve questions of long-term storage feasibility and regulations. Many Members and witnesses said that the need for cleaner energy sources is “urgent” due to global problems of increasing energy needs and climate change, and expressed their unease about the speed of the legislative process in responding to these concerns.

Legislation regarding carbon capture and sequestration: S.2323, Carbon Capture and Storage Technology Act of 2007, and S.2144, Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Study Act of 2007.