July 16
The U.S. EPA has proposed a rule to protect drinking water while encouraging research into underground carbon sequestration.
The EPA, the Department of Energy, operators of electric generating plants and researchers are working together to develop technology for capturing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and pumping the gas deep underground for long-term storage. If the technology proves successful, backers believe sequestration could significantly reduce the impact new coal burning power plants would have on global warming.
However, the process involves drilling wells at least one half mile underground in a rock confining zone and then pumping in the gas under high pressure. That pressure creates the potential for carbon dioxide to migrate into groundwater, Benjamin Grumbles, EPA assistant administrator for water, said during a July 15 telephone news conference. While carbon dioxide itself isnīt toxic or radioactive, if the gas migrates into drinking water, it could carry other contaminants in the ground with it, Grumbles said.
"One of the key features of this proposed rule is extensive monitoring throughout the entire process so that we and the state regulators can prevent as quickly as possible any type of migration or leakage or potential problem," Grumbles said.
The proposed 221-page rule is available online at www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/wells_sequestration.html
Contact Waste News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at (330) 865-6172 or bgeiselman@crain.com
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