U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees

2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

For Immediate Release

April 16, 2007

CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director
303-455-5999

Sen. Salazar’s Carbon Storage Capacity Bill Gets Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ken Salazar’s bill on the Nation’s carbon storage capacity received a committee hearing earlier today. The bill, S. 731 or the “National Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacity Assessment Act of 2007,” requires the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a comprehensive inventory of the Nation’s ability to store carbon in appropriate geologic features and other natural basins, starting with a requirement for USGS to develop an official methodology for the assessment, which is independently reviewed and approved by a panel of scientific experts and the public.

“We must reduce the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere; it is of paramount importance to our future,” said Senator Salazar. “Coal is also very important to our Nation’s future, it is one of our Nation’s most abundant resources and important to our energy needs. Cataloging the natural storage capacity for carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants will enable us to utilize our coal resources in a clean and environmentally friendly way that does not add to the global warming problem.”

Although there was no vote scheduled at the hearing for S. 731, Senator Salazar used the hearing to underscore the broad, bipartisan support for the bill and he made key points regarding Colorado’s leadership in relevant geological research (e.g., the Colorado Geological Survey and Colorado School of Mines).

S. 731 is endorsed by several industry and environmental groups including:

American Public Power Association Arch Coal Clean Air Task Force Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities Colorado Springs Utilities Colorado Mining Association Colorado School of Mines DCP Midstream, LP Environmental Defense

Massachusetts Inst. of Technology National Academies National Environmental Trust Natural Resources Defense Council National Mining Association Platte River Power Authority Western Resources Advocates Xcel Energy

Senator Salazar’s carbon sequestration capacity bill is co-sponsored by Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Jim Webb (D-VA). The House companion is sponsored by Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology.

A recent MIT report, available by clicking here, includes a recommendation in chapter four that the US Geological Survey and the Department of Energy should “embark on a 3 year ‘bottom-up’ analysis of US geological storage capacity assessments.” It also makes several other recommendations for the government to implement a carbon sequestration program.

# # #