Swamp Stomp
Volume 16, Issue 42
A bill has been proposed by Senate Democrats that would strengthen carbon capture technology for fossil fuel power plants.
The bill was presented by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). The passed the bill would increase a federal research tax credit for carbon capture and sequestration technology at power plants.
This technology would allow power plants to capture greenhouse gas emissions produced by burning fossil fuels. This would prevent the gases from being released into the environment by allowing power plants to store or use the emissions for other purposes, for example oil recovery.
“Our bill would help secure a future for this reliable source of power by spurring investment in new technologies that help lower emissions,” Heitkamp said in a statement.
“Coal powers our homes, drives the economy, and creates good North Dakota jobs — and our bill, as well as many other proposals I’ve pushed for over the past several years, would help secure a viable future for this reliable source of power.”
A large number of Democrats believe that carbon capture will allow for increasing the use of coal as a fuel for electricity generation in the future. The technology decreases the amount of emissions released in the environment so lawmakers who are environmentally conscious prefer this to current fossil fuel power plants. The emissions captured adversely affect the environment by helping speed up global warming.
Not all of the environmentally conscious support carbon capture tax credits. In fact, several green groups wrote a letter addressing the bill saying they were against the new credits for carbon capture, especially in regards to using the captured emissions towards expanding oil recovery.
The United States has been slow to adopt and embrace carbon capture. Currently there is not one single operational carbon capture power. In addition, the only carbon capture power plant under construction, in Mississippi, has been delayed and has gone over budget.
The fact that some green groups oppose carbon capture, there are no operational carbon capture power plants in the United States, and that the only one under construction is over budget and delayed has not stopped the Obama administration from backing carbon capture. In fact, the administration believes that North American nations should consider utilizing it has a way to hit a continent wide goal of producing 50 percent of electricity from clean sources by 2025.
“Preventing the worst of climate change will mean deploying a broad range of technologies to reduce carbon emissions,” Whitehouse said in a statement.
“This bill would provide a boost for entrepreneurs in Rhode Island and across the country who turn harmful carbon pollution into useful products. That incentive will spur economic growth and help protect our environment and public health.”
Do you believe more tax credits should go towards carbon capture technology? Do you agree with the Obama administration and back carbon capture? Or, do you agree with several green groups and oppose carbon capture?
Source: Henry, Devin. “Senate Democrats Push Carbon Capture Tax Credits.” The Hill. The Hill, 13 July 2016. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.