N.D.: Execs Say Cutting CO2 Not Cheap

BISMARCK, N.D.
Harper spoke at a U.S. Senate hearing of its subcommittee on energy and water development, of which Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., is chairman. Dorgan held the hearing Monday in a North Dakota Capitol hearing room.

Dorgan said he has pushed to increase federal support for research into how to burn coal more cleanly, and for methods of retaining carbon dioxide emissions. A number of experimental “carbon capture” efforts are under way.

“It’s one thing to talk about all of these issues, and say we have to use all of our (energy) resources,” Dorgan said. “But if you don’t fund it, it’s just talk … If we’re going to do this, we’ve got to invest in the research. We’ve got to invest in the demonstration projects.”

Power plants that are fueled by coal provide more than half the nation’s electricity, the U.S. Energy Department says.

Coal burning also allows carbon dioxide to escape into the Earth’s atmosphere, where it is blamed for global warming. Energy researchers are trying to find ways that both new and existing power plants can reduce their carbon dioxide releases.

Houston Chronicle