Statement of Congressman John D. Dingell, Chairman
Committee on Energy and Commerce

Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality hearing on “H.R. 6258, The Carbon Capture and Storage Early Deployment Act.”

July 10, 2008

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this important hearing and for the exemplary work you continue to do on the issue of climate change. I welcome our witnesses and thank them for their valuable testimony.

Throughout the many climate change hearings held by this subcommittee over the last few months, several key themes have emerged, but none more central than the following: combating global climate change will require that we make deep cuts in our greenhouse gas emissions even as we meet our future energy demands.

The United States currently generates more than 50 percent of its electricity through the use of coal, a fuel that must continue to be part of our energy mix. For that to be possible in a carbon-constrained world, a robust carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) deployment program is necessary on a scale that does not exist today.

A survey of the current state of CCS technologies will reveal the constituent elements of an overall strategy that is not yet fully integrated. First, several promising capture technologies have been demonstrated on a small scale but have yet to be deployed at the commercial level because of concerns about costs and energy penalties. Second, liquid CO2 is transported in pipelines today, but building the additional infrastructure necessary for a national CCS pipeline program presents a unique set of challenges. Finally, CO2 has been sequestered underground for decades during enhanced oil recovery, but not on the massive scale needed for the continued use of coal as a fuel source in a carbon-constrained environment. Clearly, a comprehensive strategy with an appropriate source of revenue is needed.

Today the Subcommittee will examine one such idea, put forward by its Chairman with bipartisan support. The CCS legislation introduced by Mr. Boucher closely follows the recommendations of the Advanced Coal Technology Work Group, an advisory panel to the EPA. It could help facilitate a comprehensive CCS deployment strategy in time to make the emissions reductions that scientists have determined are needed to prevent further damage to the planet.

Mr. Chairman, I commend you for holding this timely hearing and for presenting a bold solution to this challenge. I look forward to learning more about this issue from our witnesses today.