Carbon Capture and Storage Critical to U.S. Climate Legislation, Says WRI’s Sarah Forbes

A briefing this morning on Capitol Hill examined the many outstanding questions about carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS).

Sarah Forbes, a senior associate and expert on CCS at the World Resources Institute (WRI), spoke at the briefing. She said, “The United States gets 40 percent of its energy from coal, so carbon dioxide capture and storage has to be a key part of climate and energy legislation. We have the full technical knowledge to begin demonstrations of this technology, and we should have started them yesterday.”

Last year, WRI released a series of detailed guidelines for carbon dioxide capture, transport and storage. The guidelines were the result of two years of research with hundreds of technical experts from federal and state governments, businesses and civil-society organizations.

“Many climate technologies seem far-fetched, but Congress can be confident that CCS is a smart technology for the United States. Establishing clear rules for how to do CCS safely would go a long way toward protecting people and ecosystems,” Forbes added. 

The hearing was sponsored by <a href="http://tiberi.house.gov/">U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Tiberi</a> (R-Ohio) and <a href="http://www.charliewilson.house.gov/">U.S. Rep. Charlie A. Wilson</a> (D-Ohio)<b>.</b>