Presidential Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage

Today, President Obama announced a Presidential Memorandum creating an Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to develop a comprehensive and coordinated federal strategy to speed the development and deployment of clean coal technologies. The President calls for five to ten commercial demonstration projects to be up and runningby 2016.

The Presidential Memorandum for a Comprehensive Federal Strategy on Carbon Capture and Storage includes:

Charting the path toward clean coal is essential to achieving the Administration’s clean energy goals, supporting American jobs and reducing emissions of carbon pollution.

Rapid development and deployment of clean coal technologies, particularly carbon capture and storage (CCS), will help position the U.S. as a leader in the global clean energy race.

Establishes an Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage to develop a comprehensive and coordinated federal strategy to speed the development and deployment of clean coal technologies.The Task Force will be co-chaired by representatives of from DOE and EPA and include participants from at least 9 different agencies and offices. The Task Force shall develop within 180 days a plan to overcome the barriers to the deployment of widespread affordable CCS within 10 years, with a goal of bringing five to ten commercial demonstration projects on line by 2016. The plan should address incentives for CCS adoption and any financial, economic, technological, legal, institutional, or other barriers to deployment. The Task Force should consider how best to coordinate existing federal authorities and programs, as well as identify areas where additional federal authority may be necessary. The Task Force shall report progress periodically to the President, through the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.

Full Memorandum