From the Columbus Dispatch:

The federal government said yesterday that it will spend $61.1 million for a clean-coal project in Ohio, a major step in deciding whether it is commercially feasible to burn Midwest coal without emitting the carbon dioxide thought to cause global warming.

The money will be funneled to a demonstration project in the Mount Simon Sandstone formation in Darke County in western Ohio.

About 1 million tons of carbon dioxide from an ethanol facility will be injected 3,000 feet into the sandstone formation.

Proponents contend that the process, known as carbon sequestration, is crucial for the future of Ohio coal. If electric utility plants can burn coal without causing global warming, it would provide a major boost to Ohio’s coal industry.

Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, said in a statement that “this award is a vitally important step forward in our nation’s commitment to crafting a comprehensive solution to climate change.”

Many environmentalists acknowledge that carbon sequestration can “play an important role” in reducing greenhouse gases. But they fear that Voinovich and other coal-state senators want to focus solely on coal at the expense of clean-burning technologies such as wind and solar power. [good point!]

 For the rest of the story, click here.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 6:40 am and is filed under Policy, General Economic Development, Strategy, Innovation, Sustainability, Advanced Energy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.