Domenici lauds MIT coal report

WASHINGTON, March 23 U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., has praised a report that has focused on the need to develop technologies to reduce carbon emissions from coal.

"Make no mistake about it, we must recognize that the use of American coal in electricity generation is essential to our nation's energy independence and security," said Domenici, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement Thursday. "It is clear that we need to gain a better understanding of how to best enhance our future coal-fired power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions." The report, "The Future of Coal in a Carbon Constrained World," was written by scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report who spoke of the need to capture and sequester carbon on a large scale. Domenici said, however, that any attempt to curb carbon dioxide emissions must include large countries like China, which are not subject to international accords such as the Kyoto Protocol.

"The United States and other countries have to undertake a significant research effort to learn how to best capture and sequester carbon," he said. "The United States has to lead the effort, but unless China and other major coal-using countries participate in this work, with both human capital and financial resources, it is unlikely that we will be able to address global climate change in a reasonable, fair and effective manner."

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