Legislation soon to be introduced in the state Senate would create a legal and regulatory framework for carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) projects.
The Pennsylvania Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide Act would assign state regulatory authority of CCS facilities within the state; designate property rights around storage sites in deep geologic formations; specify the regulatory and permitting process; and create a cash fund sustaining regulatory operations.
CCS is a process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere emitted from sources for reuse or storage underground. These sources include coal-fired power plants and other industrial sites. Only the federal Environmental Protection Agency currently can claim authority for CCS.
“This legislation is a proactive step to secure Pennsylvania’s future as a hub for carbon capture and sequestration,” state Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Bradford), who circulated a co-sponsorship memo, 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.”
Pennsylvania could store approximately 2.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide underground, according to the Great Plains Institute using data from a 2009 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources report, the equivalent of 517 million gas-powered passenger vehicles’ annual greenhouse gases.