DOE Releases Draft Plan To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Advanced Technologies
On Sept. 22, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released for public review and comment a plan for accelerating the development and reducing the cost of new and advanced technologies that avoid, reduce, or capture and store greenhouse gas emissions. The technologies developed under the Climate Change Technology program will be used and deployed among the United States' partners in the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development that was announced earlier this year.
"This Strategic Plan is the first of its kind and will provide a comprehensive, long-term look at the role for advanced technology in addressing this important global concern," David Conover, director of the Climate Change Technology Program said. "This forward-looking document will allow us and our partners to drive and capitalize on technological innovation far into the future. The Asia-Pacific Partnership coupled with the technologies that we will develop will have a significant impact in addressing this long-term challenge."
The U.S. Climate Change Technology Program's (CCTP) draft Strategic Plan provides strategic direction and organizes about $3 billion in federal spending for climate change-related technology research, development, demonstration, and deployment -- needed to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and power economic growth. This activity complements other efforts including short-term measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity, advance climate change science, and promote international cooperation.
The plan sets six complementary goals: (1) reducing emissions from energy use and infrastructure; (2) reducing emissions from energy supply; (3) capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide; (4) reducing emissions of other greenhouse gases; (5) measuring and monitoring emissions; and (6) bolstering the contributions of basic science to climate change.
The plan outlines approaches toward attaining these goals, articulates underlying technology development strategies, and identifies a series of next steps toward implementation.
To view and comment on the CCTP draft Strategic Plan, visit the CCTP Web site at: http://www.climatetechnology.gov. CCTP will discuss the plan with stakeholders at a series of workshops during the coming months. The public comment period will close on Nov. 2, 2005. The completed plan is expected in 2006.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.