John Hollenhorst Reporting
As debate swirls around Global Warming, the search for solutions is gearing up and Utah is right in the middle of it. Researchers at the University of Utah are launching a major project to bury greenhouse gases deep underground, and you could be part of the solution too.
Could Utah's oil and gas fields be the solution to Global Warming?
Brian McPherson, University of Utah: "A good portion of it, certainly not all of it."
Brian McPherson is a carbon expert recently hired by the University of Utah. One of his favorite charts shows a clear correlation between rising global temperature and increasing carbon dioxide. He's heading a project that will spend 105 million dollars in the next few years to prove out a radical solution.
They hope to pump carbon dioxide deep into the ground and store it for centuries under existing oil and gas fields. The goal is cleaning up coal-fired power plants like the seven in Utah. Carbon Dioxide would be captured by bubbling power plant gases through a chemical bath.
Brian McPherson: "It's a very efficient capture process. Very expensive but very efficient."
In the Aneth oilfield of Southeast Utah, drilling is already underway for the first major U.S. test to see if CO2 will stay put deep underground.
Brian McPherson: "But there have been some smaller field tests in other states that suggest that this is a very robust approach, and that it will stay down for the long term."
We all use coal. By turning on the lights and using electricity, each of us uses about 20 pounds of coal a day. That's why we can all be part of the solution.
Brian McPherson: "It's the small actions that cumulatively create a big, really big effect."
He says everyone can reduce carbon emissions with energy efficient lighting, appliances, and cars.
Brian McPherson: "…can make a huge difference if everyone does it."
Numerous underground storage tests are gearing up. If it works, Utah oil and gas fields may have the best geology for carbon storage. University researchers hope to begin injecting carbon into the ground about a month from now, in that first major U.S. test.
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