News Release, Kansas Geological Survey, Nov. 25, 2008
LAWRENCE--Capturing and storing the carbon dioxide produced by human activities will be the focus of a round-table discussion December 16 in Topeka.
Sponsored by the Kansas Geological Survey based at the University of Kansas, the Kansas Corporation Commission and Westar Energy, the discussion is free and open to the public, although space is limited. Participants will explore issues related to storing, or sequestering, carbon dioxide (CO2) in underground rock formations, particularly those in Kansas.
CO2 levels in the atmosphere have increased significantly with the rise of industrialization over the last two centuries. The prospect of capturing CO2 from stationary sources, such as coal-fired power plants, then sequestering it in subsurface rocks, holds promise but is largely untested on an industrial scale.
"The economic and environmental practicalities of geologic sequestration have yet to be determined," said Rex Buchanan, deputy director at the Kansas Geological Survey and the discussion moderator. "This meeting will bring together people with knowledge about all sides of the issue to discuss potential problems and possible solutions."
The discussion is aimed at a wide-ranging audience, including geologists, regulators, environmentalists, and generators and transporters of CO2. Topics on the program include how CO2 sequestration could affect and be affected by the state's geology as well as by state and federal regulations. Industry and legislative perspectives also will be considered.
Presenters include Timothy Carr, from West Virginia University and formerly the Kansas Geological Survey, and Carl Holmes, Kansas state representative from Liberal and chair of the House Energy and Utilities Committee.
The meeting will be at the Kansas Association of School Boards Auditorium in Topeka from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, December 16. Because space is limited, reservations are requested. For more information, go to http://www.kgs.ku.edu/General/CO2.html or contact Debra Douglass at douglass@kgs.ku.edu or 785-864-2153.