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EIA: US energy-related CO2 emissions in 2012 lowest since 1994; reflects drop in coal use

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The largest drop in emissions in 2012 came from coal, which is used almost exclusively for electricity generation. During 2012, particularly in the spring and early summer, low natural gas prices led to competition between natural gas- and coal-fired electric power generators.

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EPA proposes CO2 emission standards for new fossil fuel-fired power plants

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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed Clean Air Act standards to reduce CO 2 emissions from fossil-fuel fired power plants (electric utility generating units, EGUs). The proposed rulemaking establishes separate standards for natural gas and coal plants.

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Texas Clean Energy Project signs long-term CO2 offtake agreement with Whiting Petroleum for enhanced oil recovery; 90% CO2 capture from IGCC coal polygen plant

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TCEP will be an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) 400 MW power/poly-gen plant that will capture 90% of the carbon dioxide, 99% of the sulfur, more than 95% of the mercury, and eliminate more than 90% of the nitrogen oxides produced by the process. —Donald Hodel, Chairman of Summit Power. produce urea.

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DOE to Award $106M to Six CO2 Conversion Projects; $156M in Matching Private Funding

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Hawaii Electric Company will qualify the biocrude for boiler use, and Tesoro will supply CO 2 and evaluate fuel products. The SkyMine process transforms CO 2 into solid carbonate and/or bicarbonate materials while also removing sulfur oxides, nitrogen dioxide, mercury and other heavy metals from flue gas streams of industrial processes.

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DOE, RTI to Design and Build Coal Syngas Cleanup System for IGCC Power Plants to Reduce Cost of Removing Contaminants, Capturing CO2; Potential for Synthetic Chemicals and Fuels

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The system also holds the potential to reduce the cost of producing chemicals, transportation fuels, and substitute natural gas from gasified coal. DOE and RTI will design, build, and test a warm gas cleanup system—based on RTI’s high-temperature syngas cleanup technology—to remove multiple contaminants from coal-derived syngas.

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PCAST suggests 6 key components for climate change strategy to President Obama; adaptation and mitigation

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Continue efforts to decarbonize the economy, with emphasis on the electricity sector. Key recommended steps here are: Support continuing expansion of shale-gas production, ensuring that environmental impacts of production and transport do not curtail the potential of this approach.

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Plug-in Hybrid Study: Electricity Better

Plugs and Cars

The basic question addressed, which appears on the study homepage (epri-reports.org) is this: How would air quality and greenhouse gas emissions be affected if significant numbers of Americans drove cars that were fueled by the power grid? The use of electricity is an important attribute of PHEVs. billion metric tons.

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