New Carbon Strategy in West Virginia

A West Virginia power plant has begun a new program to dispose of its carbon dioxide. Instead of releasing it into the atmosphere, the Mountaineer plant is injecting it into the earth itself. The practice, known as "carbon capture and sequestration," is just one of many strategies companies are employing in an effort to combine sustainability, efficiency, and energy.

Power company officials say the effort is the energy industry’s best hope of stanching carbon dioxide emissions over the next few decades.

"I really believe, in my heart of hearts, that coal is going to be burned around the world for years to come," said Michael Morris, chairman and president of American Electric Power, which owns the plant here. "Retrofitting is going to be essential." 

Half of all the power in the United States comes from coal-fired plants. Retrofitting them, as Mountaineer has done, is one way to ensure that America meets its energy needs while continuing to create a sustainable energy grid. It also makes America more secure. By making American-produced energy more sustainable, we're reducing our need to look elsewhere to keep the United States running. Producing energy here means that we're less reliant on international sources and the global market. Currently, things such as fluctuating oil prices and changing stability mean that American lights are kept on thanks to a specific set of circumstances -- which can and do change. Building infrastructure here lowers the leverage we give to other countries, and that helps keep America competitive.

— Matthew Faraci

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