United States was regarded as the worst handler of the global warming issue. It ranked at the bottom in addressing the environmental issue in the recent G-8 summit. But now, the US scientists have got a new way to reduce CO2 levels, by burying it under the ground. The process is known as carbon capture and storage or geologic sequestration.
Moreover, this stored carbon can be stored for future use. This underground carbon will be helpful for energy companies in recovering more oil and natural gas; a process known as enhanced oil recovery. Benjamin Grumbles of the Environmental Protection Agency says that this is the first time the U.S. government has proposed requirements on how to do it. The carbon storage operation has been in place since 1996 in porous rocks under the seabed off Norway, where operator StatoilHydro has stashed some 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. The process seems to be greatly beneficial in dealing with the global warming problem as well as for the energy crisis.
But it should not violate the Safe Drinking Water Act; for there are chances that the underwater may get contaminated. If an imbalance occurs due to large amount of Carbon Dioxide stored under high pressure, it may push other substances like salt into the water source. Thus, priority should be given to make sure that the carbon dioxide does not migrate into an underground source of drinking water or any other substance.
Source: Reuters