House Committee Told Sound Regulations for Technology to Help Cut Global Warming Pollution Within Sight

10 a.m. EDT, Thursday, July 24, 2008

Contact:
Scott Anderson, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3410-w
Chris Smith, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3451-w or 512.659.9264-c or [email protected]
 
(Washington, DC – July 24, 2008) The United States is making significant progress toward development of a comprehensive regulatory framework for technology that would help reduce global warming pollution significantly. That was the conclusion of testimony by a Texas-based energy policy specialist this morning during a hearing before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials.
 
The technology, carbon capture and storage (CCS), is the process of capturing carbon dioxide from industrial processes, such as those used in coal-fired power plants, and then injecting it into deep geological formations, including deep saline reservoirs and existing oil and gas fields, where it can safely remain for thousands of years. The result would be a significant reduction of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
 
“Climate change is the single most important environmental issue of our generation and thus, energy efficiency, renewables, and the successful development and deployment of CCS will be critical components in an overall national strategy,” said Scott Anderson, senior policy advisor in the Austin, Texas office of Environmental Defense Fund. “Proposed federal rules last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with state rules already in place in Washington State and pending in Kansas, show promise of our government’s increasing commitment to ensure that wide-scale CCS is done right.
 
“While we know today that geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide is feasible, as the technology deploys large scale, knowledge will increase correspondingly and therefore, regulations will need to be flexible, adaptive and performance-based,” Anderson added. “But that is not enough. It is essential that rules assure that risks be managed properly.”
 
Addressing the question of whether there should be special liability relief for CCS projects, Anderson testified that Environmental Defense Fund is not convinced that any liability relief is needed for the carbon dioxide sequestration industry in the long term, though the organization is open to exploring the possibility of special rules and institutions for early projects.
 
Full testimony by Scott Anderson is available in PDF format at: http://www.edf.org/documents/8124_CCS_Anderson_Testimony_July%202008.pdf
 
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