Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., have introduced legislation that would award monetary prizes to scientists who develop technology to capture CO2 from the atmosphere or from lower-GHG emitting sources and sequester it, E&E News PM reported. Bingaman was quoted as saying: "If we could capture carbon dioxide emitted by low-concentration sources, or even the atmosphere, it would be a major step toward a cleaner energy future. A federal prize to inspire inventive solutions to this technical challenge could help us get there quicker."
Barrasso was quoted as saying: "The bill taps into American ingenuity and innovation. It recognizes the need to develop the technological solutions needed to address climate change. With financial awards, we can encourage the extraordinary breakthroughs needed to tackle this problem."
The legislation would have the U.S. share intellectual property rights to the technology. Researchers already working on technologies to capture CO2 from the air include BASF, Corning, Columbia University, and the University of Calgary in Canada.
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