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U.S. to hand out $2.4 billion for carbon capture and storage

steven chuHow can a Nobel Prize–winning physicist—now the nation's energy secretary—get a bunch of coal industry folks to sit up and take notice during a keynote speech? How about by announcing that the feds are planning to dispense $2.4 billion to research and develop so-called clean coal technology?

In fact, that's exactly what Steven Chu did today at a meeting of the National Coal Council in Washington, D.C., where he announced that the government plans to add another $800 million to the Clean Coal Power Initiative pot of cash designed to explore new ways to cut acid rain, smog and mercury pollution as well as $1.5 billion to probe carbon dioxide capture and storage (rather than venting it) from heavy emitters other than power plants (think: cement manufacturers and refineries).

"To prevent the worst effects of climate change, we must accelerate our efforts to capture and store carbon in a safe and cost-effective way," Chu said in delivering far more than a lump of coal to the coal industry. This funding will "help position the United States to lead the world in CCS technologies, which will be in increasing demand in the years ahead."

Chu also announced that Ramgen Power Systems in Bellevue, Wash., is set to receive $20 million to scale up its CO2 compression technology and that the Cholla Power Plant near Holbrook, Ariz., is slated to receive $70 million-plus to expand its coal gasification system. The remaining $50 million will fund a study of 10 possible geologic formations for long-term CO2 storage.

Image: DoE

Tags: carbon sequestration, clean coal, carbon capture and storage, climate change, steven chu, global warming, energy
More News Blog: Next: Old man Hubble looking younger by the day as tune-up proceeds Previous: Obama taps New York City's Frieden to run CDC

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  1. 1. de juan 02:56 PM 5/15/09

    What would if you could separate the carbon from the oxigen or even make a usefull product of it

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  2. 2. de juan 02:58 PM 5/15/09

    What if you separate c-02 molocules ,ox.&ca.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  3. 3. sailingdave 08:27 PM 5/16/09

    You should visit w2energy.com. We have a technology which sequesters the CO2 and uses it as energy.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  4. 4. Pauline K_S 08:40 PM 5/16/09

    How dare you Store this toxic waste when there is a new invention that has been offered for sale that will stop 87% and up of all toxic air pollution in all fields of industry! Contact the inventor Pauline Kish-Sloan at pekss services@netzero.com

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  5. 5. mikecimerian in reply to de juan 06:23 PM 5/17/09

    Use oxygen in AIP propulsion (air independent engines) and store carbon in nano-constructor ready carbon.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  6. 6. eco-steve 08:46 AM 5/18/09

    Recent studies reveal that all over the world pumping oil ,gas or water into or out of the ground causes local earth tremors due to rocks 'relaxing' as stresses on them vary. The same is true for overloading terrain with dammmed-up lakes, or removing rock from mines or quarries. Its all beacause of the redistribution of weight and pressures. And earth tremors reopen closed fractures, allowing trapped fluids to escape...

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
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