The U.S. Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) will partner to assess global, regional and national resources for geologic carbon storage. 

FECM Acting Assistant Secretary Jennifer Wilcox said in a recent DOE press release that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is key to delivering rapid emission reduction in power and industrial sectors.

“To help drive the critical energy transition needed to address the climate crisis, our federal agencies must pull together to focus and strengthen our global decarbonization efforts,” Wilcox said in the release. 

CCS describes a global method to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and industrial facilities by capturing produced carbon dioxide and transporting it to underground storage, the release said. 

CCS prevents emissions from being released into the atmosphere — a process critical in achieving the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals for net-zero emissions by 2050 and 100% clean electricity by 2035, the release said. It will also assist countries in meeting climate goals internationally. 

The new partnership will see the two agencies working with international governments, geological surveys and other organizations to offer assistance through discussions, meetings, workshops and research activities to better understand geologic carbon dioxide storage, the release said. Information discovered will be used to identify new opportunities to advance CCS technologies in the future.