The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Carbon Management Advisory Committee met again this week to review proposed policies designed to allow Pennsylvania to take advantage of opportunities for carbon sequestration to reduce climate changing greenhouse gases.

The meetings are being facilitated by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Center for Climate Strategies.

The group heard an update on activities from the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership presented by David Ball from Battelle who reviewed the status of several carbon sequestration pilot projects. Pennsylvania is a member of the MRCSP group.

The Partnership has undertaken 35 field projects (24 geologic and 11 terrestrial) to either calculate the carbon sequestration benefits of practices like no-till farming, wetland restoration or mine reclamation activities as well as several projects to demonstrate deep geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide gas.

One example of a geologic demonstration project is the First Energy R.E. Burger power plant near Shadyside, OH which has geology similar to Pennsylvania where geologic reservoirs 8,000 feet below ground offer good opportunities to sequester carbon dioxide.

The group also heard an update on the Pennsylvania Greenhouse Gas Inventory now underway, as well as discussed proposed policies for geologic and forestry carbon sequestration opportunities in the Commonwealth.

The next meeting of the group will be in late April or early May and the final recommendations are due in August.

For more information and for copies of presentations and proposed recommendations, visit DCNR’s Carbon Sequestration Management Plan webpage.

NewsClips: Poll Says Climate Change Not Critical to Americans

AEP CEO Says Politics Settled on CO2 Regulation

Link: The Future of Coal – MIT Study

3/16/2007