Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead has announced that a new Integrated Test Center (ITC) will be built to help researchers develop commercially viable uses for carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.
The ITC will be built at Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Station near Gillette, though a date for the start of construction has not been set.
“We are making an investment in the future of coal,” Mead said. “The research at the ITC will lead to new opportunities in petrochemicals and other commercial uses for carbon dioxide.”
The move comes as President Barack Obama’s administration and the Environmental Protection Agency are attempting to move the nation’s power infrastructure away from coal-fired power plants, which are the nation’s largest sources of air pollution and greenhouse gases.
While Wyoming is in the bottom 20 percent of U.S. states in terms of its environmental record, Mead insists that coal is essential to his state’s economy and must be protected as a source of energy.
“We lead the nation in coal production,” Mead said. “This facility allows us to provide the same leadership in research and to do all we can to make sure the coal industry can continue to serve Wyoming and the country for many years to come.”
The Wyoming Legislature approved Mead’s request for $15 million in state funds to build and operate the ITC last year. An additional $5 million in private matching funds was secured.
Mike Easley, chairman of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, said the goal is to take the carbon dioxide from coal emissions and transform it from an environmental danger into a viable producs.
“Virtually every projection shows coal use growing globally,” Easley said. “The ITC aims to prove that technology can improve coal’s environmental footprint.”
