(Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire)
HARRISBURG, Pa., May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A recently issued report from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shows Pennsylvania's underground geology may hold the key to protecting the environment against climate change while leading to new opportunities for the state's coal industry.
Acting DNCR Secretary John Quigley said the report found that Pennsylvania's subsurface geologic formations can support the development of a carbon sequestration network that could store climate changing greenhouse gases, help reduce the environmental impact of coal-fired electricity generators, and create jobs in the process.
"Governor Rendell has launched an intensive effort to assess the state's geologic storage potential and facilitate the large-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage technology," said Quigley. "Developing such a technology means Pennsylvania's abundant coal resources can be used in a more environmentally friendly manner and that could lead to an extraordinarily large number of research and development, manufacturing, retrofit, and export jobs for our citizens. At the same time, we'll be able to aggressively tackle one of the largest environmental and economic challenges facing our planet today."
The findings were included in a report provided to the Governor and General Assembly on May 1 as required by Act 129 of 2008. The law requires DCNR to conduct a series of studies on carbon sequestration.
The 149-page report contains detailed and technical information about the state's geology. It can be viewed at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/, choose "Carbon Sequestration" under "Hot Topics," then click on "Geologic Carbon Sequestration Opportunities in Pennsylvania."
A carbon sequestration network would involve first capturing carbon dioxide from coal-fired electricity generating plants and other industrial sources. It would then be compressed into a liquid and cooled, and transported through pipelines to a sequestration site, where it would be injected into the rock formations or other suitable geologic features deep beneath the surface.
The assessment included reviewing available data on deep saline aquifers, depleted oil-and-gas reservoir rocks, unmineable coal beds, shales and thick salt beds. Most of the available data is from oil and gas well records from western Pennsylvania where such activity is more prevalent. Such information is more difficult to obtain for the central and eastern areas because there is less oil and gas drilling activity in those regions.
