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Post from Buc Beattie's Blog:
Carbon "Capture" ... Another Band-Aid?
By Unknown user - Sep 4, 2008 5:27:25 PM ET
Also listed in: We Want Clean Power Companies
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Our local BPW wants to build a new "Carbon capture" facility here in western Michigan and is touting it as a state-of-the-art solution to the problem of Carbon emissions disposal. More like state-of-the-ark! Looks to me like another "sweep it under the carpet" solution. The gases, instead of being blown up into the atmosphere, will be blown "down" several hundred feet deep into the earth's crust.

I will have more later on the exact name and specs of the process, but wanted to get the discussion rolling. Is this nuts, or am I being paranoid? Any thoughts?


Reader Comments

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It COULD work!
By Unknown user, Oct 24, 2008 at 2:07:48 PM ET (Updated: Oct 24, 2008 at 2:07:48 PM ET )
Sounds like it might cost more energy to use this solution,but shouldn't we be behing the experts as they keep trying new ideas? Bravo!
  
Carbon Capture
By Unknown user, Nov 20, 2008 at 11:48:25 AM ET (Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 11:48:25 AM ET )
I agree with MI. I live in CO but own land and grew up in Wy. Wy is the largest producer of coal in the world, and I have grave concerns about the capture process. I admit I don't understand all of the technology behind it, but it raises so many issues that if is it going to be done they need to be adressed.

Such as who owns the underground caverns/storage areas? A logical person would think it is the landowner and they can work with the company looking to discard the carbon, but that isn't the way it works. You may have noticed that coal is huge business along with the railroads. And they want the caverns to be in a split estate similar to mineral rights.

If industry gets their way landowners won't have the right to say no I don't want that, and have any rights whatsoever about what happens on their lands. This is exactly what is happening in many western states with fossil fuels extraction.

One other huge issue is what happens if we have an earthquake (which even happens in WY) and the carbon escapes from the caverns?

My suggestion is that we fight this for all we are worth, and this is simply a ploy by coal to hang onto their market share. We can do much better with solar. If you haven't seen the Frontline episode called "Heat" I highly reccomend that you do. Please let me know about your efforts.