Legislation Follows Four Day Visit to Southwest Virginia

Washington, DC - Senator Jim Webb today announced that he is co-sponsoring a research bill that seeks to accelerate the safe and effective development of geological carbon sequestration, which is one of the most promising new technologies for curbing carbon dioxide emissions.

The “National Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacity Assessment Act of 2007″ (S.731) would authorize the U.S. Geological Survey, in coordination with the Department of Energy and the EPA, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of carbon dioxide storage capacity. Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) is the chief sponsor of the bill.

“Generations of Virginians know the value of coal’s role as a domestic energy source,” said Senator Webb. “This legislation is an important step to develop technologies that allow us to use fossil fuels in a more efficient and environmentally-sound manner.”

Last week, Senator Webb visited with the Eastern Coal Council in Abingdon. His meeting included a diverse set of representatives from the coal industry, area universities, local technology companies and the environmental community.

“Senator Webb showed a deep appreciation for understanding the concepts before proceeding to make legislative decisions affecting the coal industry,” said Barbara Altizer, Executive Director of the Eastern Coal Council. “The Coal Council appreciated the Senator’s visit to the coalfields to learn more about today’s clean coal technology, carbon sequestration and energy education, among other issues. The Council is pleased to see Senator Webb’s interest in coal and research for coal. Coal can play a key role in helping the United States achieve energy independence.”

The meeting with the Coal Council was one of several stops during the Senator’s four-day trip to Southwest Virginia. Webb also toured the Laurel Mountain Deep Mine in Russell County to witness the mining process first-hand. He also visited the CGI offices in Lebanon, the General Dynamics Armament & Technical Products Plant in Marion, and the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Radford.

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The “National Carbon Dioxide storage Capacity Assessment Act of 2007″ (S.731) authorizes the federal government to spend up to $20 million on the inventory process.

The bill has two primary components:

* Establishment of a methodology. Over the course of the first 9 months, the USGS will design a formal methodology for geological capacity assessment. It will address questions of distribution (extent), rate (injectivity), total volume (capacity), additional oil and gas recovery, and a ranking of risk. The methodology will be reviewed by a panel of experts, available for public comment, and formally published 15 months after the date of enactment.

* Execution of the national assessment. Upon enactment of the legislation, the USGS will begin to gather and analyze data from all 50 states and all sedimentary basins to assess the CO2 storage potential. The assessment should produce maps and formal quantitative estimates of the terms described in the methodology. In addition, a database of the work inputs and components will be published for public use. The assessment will be completed and published within two years of the publication of the formal assessment methodology.

In addition to Senators Webb and Salazar, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) serves as an original co-sponsor of the legislation. Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology, introduced a companion bill this week in the House of Representatives.

Text of the Senate version of the carbon sequestration bill can be viewed at: [1] http://salazar.senate.gov/images/pdf/070301env.pdf.

Editor’s Note: For photos of the Senator’s trip to Southwest, Virginia, visit: [2] http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/photo_gallery.cfm