Carbon management

Re: “Colorado must employ carbon capture technology,” April 1 commentary

I agree with Sarah Jensen that carbon capture can play a critical role in meeting our net-zero goals. Economic incentives could help establish commercial-scale projects in Colorado, such as the Coyote Clean Power Project on the Southern Ute reservation, designed with a cleaner natural gas burning process and sequestration of CO2 emissions.

However, Jensen was wrong to claim that critics rule out CCUS technologies because those solutions don’t “feel good.” The oil and gas industry has an established history of putting business expansion over safety of its products. These are facts: (1) Carbon management is part of the clean energy transition. (2) We need guardrails around our use of oil and gas.

The “trust but verify” guardrail will help mitigate methane leakage. Industry is stepping up after the Environmental Defense Fund deployed a methane detection system and made leakage data publicly available.

CO2 emissions require a different approach. They are a ubiquitous byproduct of even the most well-maintained fossil fuel power generation. The first few

CCUS projects may get funded through grants or credits, but we can’t afford to subsidize economy-wide deployment.

We need a market signal that decarbonizes our energy. Phase in a fee on carbon emissions, with a rebate for applications that sequester carbon. Return the proceeds to citizens in per-capita monthly dividends to offset higher prices. Add a border carbon adjustment that turns clean carbon management into a competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

Kathy Fackler, Durango