WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today introduced legislation to spur research, development and deployment of new technology to reduce global warming pollution. The Responsible Use of Coal Act would promote technology that could capture and store carbon dioxide pollution.
“Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is essential to help us solve the challenges of global warming,” said Senator Casey. “The Responsible Use of Coal Act will accelerate the research, development, demonstration and deployment of CCS technologies. This technology can protect the environment while also creating and sustaining jobs in the United States.”
The Responsible Use of Coal Act of 2009 would accelerate the research, development, demonstration and deployment of CCS so that technology is available to allow for the continued, responsible use of coal in the United States and abroad. The bill would provide funding to the Department of Energy (DOE) for the large-scale commercial CCS demonstration projects necessary to facilitate broad deployment of the technology. Just as importantly, the bill would ensure that DOE continued to carry out the research and development of CO2 capture and storage and advanced coal-based power generation technologies to spur innovative concepts for using the nation’s coal resources and to drive down costs of complying with future climate legislation.
Specifically the bill will:
• Promote the commercial demonstration and early deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies that will allow the nation to continue to use its abundant, secure and low-cost coal resources;
• Promote the continued research and development of advanced CCS and advanced coal-based power generation technologies in order to drive down costs, increase performance and foster innovation; and
• Promote the export of U.S. CCS technologies to those countries, such as China and India, that also rely on coal as their dominant energy source.
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