CCS: Digging your way out of a hole

CNET reporter Martin LaMonica reported today that Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the industry association for U.S. utilities, in anticipation for upcoming climate change legislation, supports adopting a number of clean technology solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from today's output by 2050.

Among the rollout of new efficiency goals and renewables, as well as electric vehicles and utilizing a smarter grid, EEI is uttering, in the same breath, support for carbon sequestration, aka carbon capture and storage (CCS) aka SHOOTING MILLIONS TONS OF CO2 UNDER OUR TOWNS AND OUR OCEANS in old emptied oil caverns.

While coal remains the cheapest and most accessible fuel source in the US, it remains the dirtiest. New technologies that utilize filtration and cogeneration must continue to make coal burning more viable; we can't give up on it altogether just yet. But with new DOE chief Steven Chu going back on his claim that coal is his "worst nightmare," has this crazy scheme to store liquified carbon in the earth really become part of the mainstream discourse?

CCS is frightening by itself. But the unanimous buy-in from American energy gurus is scarier. This is not a "technology" where throwing money at R&D will vet out its flaws. Using CCS is like sweeping the mess under the rug. It is unproven, irresponsible and potentially catastrophic. If, say, an earthquake were to hit near a cavern of 100,000 tons of stored CO2, can you imagine the bubble of toxic fumes that would emerge out of the water?

If CCS is really being articulated as such a vital component to America's future energy porfolio, I say let's play ball and go one step further. Let's add one more element to Barack Obama's wishes to combine NASA with the Department of Defense, and merge them with the DOE, so that we can launch carbon missles into Iraq and shoot the rest of it into space!