Carbon Sequestration - Reference Shelf
The Carbon Sequestration Newsletter

August 2001

This newsletter is produced by the National Energy Technology Laboratory and presents summaries of significant events related to carbon sequestration that have taken place over the past month.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Sequestration in the News
• Events / Announcements from NETL's Carbon Sequestration Program
• Publications
• Legislative Activity Related to Carbon Sequestration

Sequestration in the News

• President Bush announces eight new carbon sequestration R&D awards On July 13^th, President George Bush delivered an address on a "scientifically sound and effective global effort to reduce the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." As a part of that speech the President announced recent R&D awards made by the DOE's Carbon Sequestration R&D Program. He highlighted two projects, one led by the Nature Conservancy and another by an international consortium of major energy companies. Click here for a copy of the President's remarks. The other winning proposals were led by Alstom Power, Praxair, Consol, Dakota Gasification, Advanced Resources International, and Yolo County, CA. Overall, industry is offering 40% cost share to the efforts. For a more detailed description of the DOE awards, click here.
• Kyoto Protocol and sequestration One of the significant outcomes of the agreement achieved at Bonn was a relaxation of the limits on the use of terrestrial sequestration to achieve emissions targets under the Protocol. This could enable terrestrial sequestration to play a greater role in worldwide GHG emissions reduction. The Pew Center's website contains a summary of the agreement at Bonn. While you're there, check out the Pew Center's article on policy maker's guide to carbon sequestration and offsets.
• Science Daily An ocean sequestration demonstration study has been proposed in the Norwegian Sea. The article, Norwegian Sea Proposed As Storage Site for Carbon Dioxide, originally appeared June 27^th. 
• The Environmental Protection Agency's web site now has a page that speaks directly to carbon sequestration. Check it out at The Methane and Sequestration Branch within EPA "serves as the principal point of contact in the Agency for carbon sequestration policy and program development."

• Two DOE Techlines related to carbon sequestration are now available on DOE's website One summarizes an effort being led by TVA and EPRI to demonstrate enhanced storage of carbon in vegetation and soils. The other describes work at the DOE Albany Research Center aimed at transforming CO₂ into rocks. See:
  • Enhance CO₂ Storage with Coal Byproducts
  • A "Solid" Solution for Global Warming?
  
  

Publications

• DOE's Energy Information Administration recently published a report, Analysis of Strategies for Reducing Multiple Emissions from Electric Power Plants: Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides, Carbon Dioxide, and Mercury and a Renewable Portfolio Standard, July 2001. This service report estimates the market price of carbon emissions credits under scenarios where caps are imposed on power sector emissions. The analysis does not appear to consider carbon sequestration implicitly. Click here for a PDF copy of the report.
• Congressional Budget Office prepared a report at the request of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works entitled An Evaluation of Cap-and-Trade Programs for Reducing U.S. Carbon Emissions, June 2001. The report evaluates four variants of the proposal to set a mandatory cap on carbon emissions. The outcomes are evaluated based on ease of implementation, degree of certainty about achieving the target level of emissions, cost-effectiveness, and distributional effects. The study is available online at the Congressional Budget Office.
• Resources for the Future recently published the proceedings from the workshop Can Carbon Sinks be Operational? (July 2001). The document can be seen in PDF format.

• Senators Byrd and Stevens introduce a bill to double research funds for climate change technology The Climate Change Strategy & Technology Innovation Act of 2001 authorizes new offices in DOE and the White House, and a peer review board to follow actions being implemented. The White House office (National Office of Climate Change Response of the Executive Office of the President) shall be responsible for creating a United States Climate Change Response Strategy (which shall "incorporate mitigation approaches to reduce, avoid, and sequester greenhouse gas emissions," Sec. 1622.a.4) and an interagency task force. The DOE Office of Carbon Management would receive $4 Billion for the period from 2002 to 2011, and be responsible for managing a research and development program that focuses on bold, breakthrough technologies. The DOE Center for Strategic Climate Change Response would receive $75 Million per year and provide analytical support to the White House Office. The bill received a mostly positive response. S1008 can be seen online at THOMAS World Wide Web. For a witness list and the testimonies, click here.
• Hearing on climate change issues A July 24^th senate hearing on climate change in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee addressed several bills in congress that relate to climate change, carbon sequestration, and renewable fuels. These include S597, the Comprehensive and Balanced Energy Policy Act of 2001 (Bingaman), S388, the National Energy Security Act of 2001 (Murkowski); and S820, the Forest Resources for the Environment and the Economy Act (Wyden/Craig). Also mentioned was S1006, Renewable Fuels for Energy Security (Hagel/Johnson). The discussion centered on the vote at Bonn and the Kyoto Protocol. For a witness list and the testimonies, click here and follow the links.