PA Environment Digest Blog: Sen. Yaw To Introduce Bill Promoting Carbon Capture, Utilization And Sequestration

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, is circulating a co-sponsor memo asking his colleagues to sponsor the Pennsylvania Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide Act.

The legislation would create a legal and regulatory framework for carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) projects in the state.

Currently, only the federal Environmental Protection Agency claims authority for CCS, a process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere emitted from sources, like coal-fired power plants and other industrial sites, for reuse or storage underground.

The Great Plains Institute, using data from a 2009 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources report, estimates the state could store about 2.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide underground.

This is equivalent to the level of greenhouse gases emitted from 517 million gas-powered passenger vehicles annually, according to the EPA.

“This legislation is a proactive step to secure Pennsylvania’s future as a hub for carbon capture and sequestration,” Sen. Yaw said. “It’s a pragmatic solution to a problem that we all want to solve – reducing our carbon emissions without crippling the reliability of our existing power grid.”

The legislation would:

-- Establish legislative intent to facilitate carbon capture in Pennsylvania;

-- Designate property rights around storage sites in deep geologic formations;

-- Assign state regulatory authority of CCS facilities in Pennsylvania;

-- Specify the regulatory and permitting process within the existing federal structure; and

-- Create a cash fund sustaining regulatory operations, minimizing impact to taxpayers.

“Pennsylvania is uniquely qualified to develop a vast CCS network, thanks to our robust energy industry and extensive geological formations,” Yaw said. “We should act now to establish a solid regulatory framework that will attract investment and development and economic opportunity for decades to come.”

Click Here for a copy of the co-sponsor memo.

(Map: The Great Plains Institute.)

NewsClips:

-- EQT, Shell, U.S. Steel Launch Initiative Support Support Low-Carbon, Hydrogen, Carbon Capture Industrial Hub In Ohio, PA, WV

-- AP: Battle Over Carbon Capture As Tool To Fight Climate Change

Resource Links:

-- PA Environmental Council: Carbon Capture, Utilization, Storage In PA: A Story Map

-- DCNR Blog: Carbon Capture A Tool To Address Cause Of Climate Change

-- Sen. Street Introduces Bill To Set A New Clean Energy Standard And Support Carbon Capture To Eliminate All Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Power Plants By 2050

-- Why Carbon Capture? PEC Convenes Meeting On Carbon Capture, Utilization, Storage

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: As Federal Support Emerges, PA Wants To Be A Carbon Capture Hub

-- Wolf Administration Joins 6 States In Commitment To Develop Regional Carbon Dioxide Transport Infrastructure Plan To Promote Carbon Capture