Funding insufficient to deal with answering how to cut GHGs: Issa

Washington (Platts)--28Sep2006

The money the US has spent on studying greenhouse gas emissions has been
insufficient to help answer the critical questions on how to deal with
reducing those emissions, according to US Representative Darrell Issa,
chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Resources.
Issa, Republican-California, told a hearing on rebalancing the carbon
cycle Wednesday: "Although we have put a lot of money into study, it is clear
here today and throughout this Congress that study has been insufficient to
give us the answers to the critical questions, including where all the carbon
comes from, how we absorb it, is there a tipping point and where is it."
The hearing was held to examine what is known and not known about the
carbon cycle, how it is changing the US and the efforts being done to mitigate
the effects of changes in the cycle.
Panelists were united in their belief that enough is not known about how
the carbon cycle works or whether money that has already been spent on
research was enough to help reduce emissions.
"If there were an easy answer, we would be doing it," Gregg Marland of
the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory told committee
members. "We really don't understand the climate change system and how changes
in urbanization [or] population affect it."
John Stephenson, director of Natural Resources and Environment at the
Government Accountability Office, testified that while more money has been
spent since 1993 on funding technology, he couldn't say which technology would
be a good investment to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
"We haven't analyzed it formally; we think the two-pronged attack of
emission reductions and technology of clean fuel is the right solution,"
Stephenson said, adding: "Carbon sequestration is not keeping up with
emissions."
"Congress in the next session must do more to ensure a reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions and a reduction in fossil fuel consumption at least
on a per-[Gross Domestic Product] basis," Issa said.
"We're leaning toward legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," he
told reporters after the hearing. "Carbon sequestration alone won't get us
there and we're not investing in nuclear and other energy sources fast
enough."
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