As part of Joe Biden’s “infrastructure” bill (which was actually a climate change bill), increased tax credits and support mechanisms were offered to utility companies that invest in newer “carbon capture” technology. The so-called carbon capture and storage (CCS) equipment is supposed to do exactly what the name implies. Remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from emissions and store them in the ground. Those companies failing to embrace the technology would be threatened with closure. But the results thus far have not been what the administration hoped. Most utility companies are still not installing the technology, preferring to purchase “carbon credits” instead. And industry analysts don’t foresee that changing any time in the near future. (E&E News)

The utilities that control most of the country’s power plants aren’t rushing out to install carbon capture, even as the Biden administration offers the technology as a lifeline for fossil fuels.

The administration has boosted tax credits for companies that store carbon dioxide, launched large-scale pilot programs and proposed pollution standards that would allow utilities to avoid closing some fossil fuel plants if they employ carbon capture. All are aimed at promoting carbon capture and storage — or CCS — as part of the transition to a zero-carbon grid.

But those efforts haven’t yet spurred utilities to take the leap on installing the technology, which is more costly for the power sector than it is for other industries like ethanol.

A representative of the Edison Electric Institute summed up the situation in practical terms, citing the industry’s mandate to “keep the lights on” and keep rates for consumers low. She said, “Our regulatory structure does not love the risk involved in new technology.” The reality is that CCS is still not considered to be a proven technology at industrial scales and it’s wildly expensive.

The U.S. Chamber of Congress similarly waded into the discussion. CCS is “not ready for prime time” and would drive up costs for both producers and consumers in unpredictable fashions. The EPA is demanding that 90% of carbon emissions be captured, but the CoC pointed to studies showing that not one plant with CCS technology installed is meeting that benchmark.

Both the technology and the underlying methodology of CCS are quite dodgy. First of all, the focus of the process is to “capture” carbon dioxide and bury it in the ground. Since when did the government go back to thinking that burying things you believe to be dangerous in the ground is a good idea? Have they looked at the nation’s unmanageable landfills?

Besides, we already have things that are ideally designed to remove carbon from the atmosphere. They’re called trees. And they’ve been doing it since long before there were any people around to dig holes in the earth. A significant reforestation project would be massively easier and cheaper than all of this mucking around with our energy generation capabilities.

And does this administration really want to be responsible for driving up people’s utility bills even further? Too many families are already being driven to the edge by Biden’s ongoing inflation disaster causing them to pay more for virtually everything. They’re probably not going to react well to seeing their heating and cooling bills going further up as well just to achieve the Democrats’ “net-zero” goals.