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The EERC's PCOR Partnership - Providing Solutions for a Global Problem and Opportunities for the Great Plains

Carbon dioxide (CO2)-it's in your soft drink and it is a critical, natural part of the Earth's atmosphere. However, as so often happens, you can have too much of a good thing. Since the industrial revolution, the level of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased from about 280 parts per million (ppm) in the year 1750 to about 360 ppm today. CO2 is emitted into the air by conventional agricultural practices and through the combustion of fossil fuels. Because CO2 is the predominant human-generated greenhouse gas, there is increasing concern that CO2 may be a major factor in global warming. Greenhouse gases are the components of our atmosphere that act like blankets to trap the sun's heat. But as we increase the level of CO2 in the atmosphere, it's like piling on extra (unneeded) blankets. Because we rely on affordable and reliable energy supplies, the challenge is to find ways to reduce the levels of CO2 being emitted without negatively impacting our energy systems and our standard of living. This challenge is made even more daunting when one considers the rapidly emerging economies of China, India, and other nations which are demanding more and more energy as they elevate their standards of living. To meet this challenge, President Bush issued his Global Climate Change Initiative, which calls for an 18% reduction in U.S. CO2 intensity by 2012. Conservation, more efficient power systems, renewable energy, and something called CO2 sequestration are all tools that will be needed to reduce CO2 intensity.CO2 sequestration means capturing CO2 and putting it into environmentally sound temporary or permanent storage. Terrestrial (indirect) sequestration involves pulling CO2 from the air and storing it for some period of time in soils or vegetation. Geologic (direct) sequestration is capturing CO2 from exhaust or process gas and placing it in relatively permanent storage, usually in underground geological formations. The EERC's Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership is a diverse group of public and private sector stakeholders (over 40 to date) working together to better understand the technical and economic feasibility of capturing and storing CO2 through both terrestrial and geologic sequestration in the northern Great Plains and adjacent areas (see map). The EERC's PCOR Partnership is one of seven regional partnerships funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Program and a broad range of project sponsors.So how can CO2 sequestration provide "opportunities" for our region? CO2 is a valuable commodity that can be used to extract more oil from depleted oil fields in western North Dakota and elsewhere. Perhaps more importantly for the Red River Basin, alternative agricultural practices can be used to pull CO2 from the atmosphere and store it as carbon in soils and wetlands. Practices such as reduced-till, no-till, and riparian restoration, to name a few, not only store carbon, but can increase soil fertility and tilth and increase water quality while reducing erosion and flooding. Besides the conservation benefits listed above, there is another way that CO2 sequestration can provide opportunities - cash. International concern over global warming has resulted in the development of systems for trading "carbon credits." These credits are being purchased by power companies, factories, and other emitters of CO2 in order to offset the CO2 they produce. Many countries, especially in Europe, have placed mandatory restrictions on the amounts of CO2 they release. This market is expected to grow to billions of dollars in coming years. It is conceivable that Red River Basin producers will receive carbon credit checks in the not-too-distant future. The PCOR Partnership is performing an assessment of the best opportunities for CO2 sequestration in our region and working to develop the technical and regulatory tools needed to make CO2 sequestration a major and positive part of our region's future. For more information on the PCOR Partnership, please visit our Web site at www.undeerc.org/pcor or call Ed Steadman (701-777-5279).