The U.S. Geological Survey issued its final version of a report on potential carbon dioxide storage capacity in the U.S.: A Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for the Evaluation of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage.

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Assessment of Risks from Storage of Carbon Dioxide in Deep Underground Geological Formations

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Video: Carbon Capture and Storage, 2008

When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Climate Change 2007 Report, it named carbon dioxide (CO2) the most important human produced greenhouse gas. The report confirmed that the high levels of CO2 in our atmosphere are caused by fossil fuel emissions and are a major contributor to global warming. The increased occurrence of extreme weather such as droughts, heavy precipitation, heat waves, and intensity of hurricanes and typhoons is a symptom of climate change.

Several options will be necessary to moderate CO2 levels in our atmosphere. One approach to lowering atmospheric CO2 levels, called Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration, includes planting vegetation or enhancing an already present ecosystem to increase CO2 absorption. This is a gradual, long-term strategy that allows us to absorb CO2 while rehabilitating ecological systems.

Another exciting approach is called Geologic Carbon Sequestration, meaning to sequester or capture CO2 and store it in rock formations deep beneath the earth’s surface. While our world’s energy providers race to find new ways to produce energy with less CO2 emissions, geologic carbon sequestration is an action we can take today to lower CO2 in our atmosphere.

The Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration, also known as SWP, was developed as a part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s effort to respond to global climate change. The SWP has been challenged to evaluate available technologies that capture and store CO2 in the southwest region. The SWP includes portions of: Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Participants include the coal, oil and gas industries; electric utilities; the Navajo Nation; nongovernmental organizations; universities; and U.S. federal agencies.

The SWP benefits from the already built infrastructure and natural geologic formations that exist throughout the region. Our unique mix of pipelines and geology makes the southwestern United States an ideal location for carbon sequestration.

Click here for a complete list of SWP people, partners, and publications.

Outreach

Martha Cather
SWP Outreach Coordinator
Section Head, Industry Outreach Group, PRRC
New Mexico Inst. Mining & Tech.
Socorro, NM
575-835-5685
martha@prrc.nmt.edu

Project Co-Principal Investigators

Dr. Reid Grigg
Section Head, Gas Flooding Processes Group
Petroleum Recovery Research Center
New Mexico Inst. Mining & Tech.
Socorro, NM
575-835-5403
reid@prrc.nmt.edu

Dr. Brian McPherson
Associate Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
801-585-7961