Don’t be fooled, California. Why the fossil fuel industry promotes carbon capture policies

Something truly bizarre is happening in Sacramento. California’s elected officials are considering investing in fossil fuels in a misguided attempt to solve the climate crisis.

If you think that sounds ridiculous, you’re not alone. It’s part of an effort by the fossil fuel industry to gain political support for “carbon capture, use and storage technology.”

In reality, they are trying to further delay climate action, extend fossil fuel use and increase oil production.

The California Carbon Capture Coalition, a collection of oil and gas companies, is pushing for policy proposals to accelerate carbon capture projects without the necessary guard rails, and they’re succeeding. The California Air Resources Board, the state’s air quality regulator, recently released a draft plan outlining how the state will deal with a climate crisis that is overly reliant on carbon capture and storage for fossil fuel plants.

The theory is to capture carbon dioxide from power plants and other fossil fuel facilities and place it in long-term storage. The problem is that carbon capture is largely unproven and risky. It carries significant environmental risks and it leads to greater dependence on fossil fuels.

Since the 1970s, the only application where carbon capture has truly worked is when it’s used to drill for more oil, a process known as “enhanced oil recovery.” In every other case, the application has overwhelmingly fallen short. Over 80% of projects failed to deliver the promised emissions reductions and most were completely abandoned, wasting millions of public dollars.

We would be far better off spending our resources on proven renewable and clean energy technologies, and deepen investments in ecosystem restoration since nature is a carbon sponge.

Engineered carbon capture and storage also has alarming health and safety impacts, and pushing for more would further perpetuate environmental racism in California. These facilities would be built in our poorest and most polluted Black and brown communities. CARB even identifies the Central Valley as having “world-class CO2 storage sites.” In other words, they would double down on pollution in places that are already dealing with unsafe drinking water, polluted air and a lack of access to health care.

A necessary component of carbon capture is the transport of carbon dioxide through a vast — and currently nonexistent — pipeline infrastructure. Currently, there are only 5,000 miles of C02 pipelines nationwide. Aside from the extraordinary cost of building such a system, there is little experience on how to address the safety issues that would likely arise from its operation. In 2020, 49 people were hospitalized after a C02 pipeline leak in Mississippi. Local residents were reportedly left gasping for air, and their cars stopped working as they tried to escape.

The governor and our legislators must be courageous enough to reject policies that advance ineffective carbon capture technology and extend the lifetime of fossil fuels. At the very least, they should support for Senate Bill 1314 — legislation from state Sen. Monique Limón that would ensure carbon capture is not used for enhanced oil recovery in communities that are already dealing with entrenched environmental injustices.

Carbon capture projects should not be located in places that are already bearing the brunt of climate change and environmental racism, or be used to drill for more oil and gas. California cannot waste public dollars on systems that sustain our reliance on fossil fuel infrastructure.

Without these basic protections, carbon capture becomes a Trojan horse for fossil fuel companies to delay a just transition. California can’t be a leader in fighting the climate crisis but keep investing in the source of the problem.

Our leaders can start by saying “not here” to industry interests, ensuring that carbon capture does not become the new fracking.

This story was originally published June 21, 2022 at 10:30 AM.