DOE Releases Draft Strategic Plan for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Deployment of Advanced Technology
22 September 2005

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Washington, DC– The Department of Energy today released for public review and comment a plan for accelerating the development and reducing the cost of new and advanced technologies that avoid, reduce, or capture and store greenhouse gas emissions – the technology component of a comprehensive U.S. approach to climate change.   The technologies developed under the Climate Change Technology program will be used and deployed among the United States' partners in the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development that was announced earlier this year.

“This Strategic Plan is the first of its kind and will provide a comprehensive, long-term look at the role for advanced technology in addressing this important global concern,” David Conover, Director of the Climate Change Technology Program said. “This forward-looking document will allow us and our partners to drive and capitalize on technological innovation far into the future.   The Asia-Pacific Partnership coupled with the technologies that we will develop will have a significant impact in addressing this long-term challenge.”

The U.S. Climate Change Technology Program’s (CCTP) draft Strategic Plan provides strategic direction and organizes about $3 billion in federal spending for climate change-related technology research, development, demonstration, and deployment – needed to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and power economic growth.   This activity complements other efforts including short-term measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity, advance climate change science, and promote international cooperation.

The Plan sets six complementary goals: (1) reducing emissions from energy use and infrastructure; (2) reducing emissions from energy supply; (3) capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide; (4) reducing emissions of other greenhouse gases; (5) measuring and monitoring emissions; and (6) bolstering the contributions of basic science to climate change.  

The Plan outlines approaches toward attaining these goals, articulates underlying technology development strategies, and identifies a series of next steps toward implementation.

To view and comment on the CCTP draft Strategic Plan, please visit the CCTP website at: www.climatetechnology.gov.   CCTP will discuss the plan with stakeholders at a series of workshops during the coming months.   The public comment period will close on Wednesday, November 2, 2005. [Note: With expiration of the public comment period, comments no longer are being accepted.]  The completed Plan is expected in 2006.