Carbon Capture and Sequestration Deemed Not Cost Effective by DOE

Since the beginning of 2011, major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that trigger Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permitting have been required to implement Best Available Control Technology (BACT) for GHG emissions from new and modified sources. A recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and a study by the Global Carbon Capture and Sequestration Institute (GCCSI) support claims that carbon capture and sequestration is not a cost-effective option for BACT for common stationary sources. The DOE specifically declared that it is turning its carbon capture efforts away from permanent underground storage and toward enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and the GCCSI is in support of DOE’s position, concluding in their recent study that permanent storage of carbon dioxide is a poor business choice in today’s waning economy.