A penny a day keeps the oil crisis away

A hearing on the “Carbon Capture and Storage Early Deployment Act” was held before the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) allows for the capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel electric generation facilities by means of injecting the emissions into the ground.

Congressman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said that the bipartisan legislation was proof that both Republicans and Democrats could work together to combat climate change. Upton considered the bill a ‘no-regrets’ approach to dealing with climate change while heeding America’s economy and domestic energy security. Upton pointed out that it is crucial that America takes advantage of the nation’s vast coal reserves to produce clean and affordable energy. Upton referred to a Department of Energy assessment that approximately 89 billion barrels of oil could be recoverable by using carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology.

Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) appeared most hesitant of CCS technologies as she brought up the liabilities and environmental consequences that need to be addressed. Blackburn said that the carbon dioxide injections into the ground could potentially enter groundwater and contaminate lakes. In addition, she discussed a finding from Columbia University which claimed that the excess carbon dioxide in the ground could induce earthquakes.

Witness Dr. Edward S. Rubin, alumni professor of environmental engineering and science at Carnegie Mellon University, estimated that CCS would cost an average U.S. residential customer ‘a penny a day per household’ or $3 to $5 per year which is less than the Committee’s $10 to $12 per year estimate.