The Great Plains Institute and the University of Wyoming have published a new analysis on carbon capture and storage.
Carbon capture involves trapping carbon dioxide created during energy production rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.
Jeff Brown, the Director of Energy Economics at the University of Wyoming's Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute, was an author on the study that looked at connecting possible carbon capture and storage sites across the U.S. Brown said carbon capture could be especially beneficial in Wyoming.
"Carbon capture can especially benefit industries and states that emit a lot of carbon and also have very productive uses for the captured carbon," said Brown." Wyoming's a good example. We have a lot of coal power plants that are well maintained and have cheap locally mined coal, and also Wyoming has an innovative oil industry that can put the carbon underground."
Brown said carbon capture is an essential part of stopping climate change.
"If you didn't have carbon capture, the cost of stopping climate change would be 2.4 times as much," said Brown.
Brown said that in the near term, their plan would reduce U.S. power and industry carbon dioxide emission by more than 10 percent.
Have a question about this story? Please contact the reporter, Ashley Piccone, at apiccone@uwyo.edu.
