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Andrea Feldpausch-Parker, Ph.D. Texas A&M University CVEEN 7920 and GEOL l 571 November 10, 2010 Goal of CCS: the capture and safe, long-term storage of CO2 – climate change mitigation strategy U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) initiatives Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships The Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum FutureGen Project Carbon Sequestration Core Program Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage Types of CCS Terrestrial Geologic Proposed mitigation strategy for climate change New technologies mixed with proven New risks Large-scale infrastructure Significant government involvement FutureGen site in Mattoon, IL Ties to the fossil fuel industry Locations dependent on the geology Difference in perceptions between CCS strategies Regional differences in citizen values and experiences Inform the public of: Scientific and technological findings Advances and uncertainties associated with climate change and its mitigation Conduit for sharing scientific knowledge Intermediaries between the public and political and scientific elites Frames: How problems are discovered How the public interprets problems Public acceptance or rejection of technologies developed to remediate problems Determines whether technologies will be a benefit or risk to society Controls the flow of information and influences political agendas by determining focus and framing of information presented Examine news media’s representation of CCS risks and benefits as an emerging low-carbon energy technology by analyzing newspapers from 4 states: Massachusetts Minnesota Montana Texas These 4 states exhibit varying degrees of: Public acceptance of CCS Progress toward CCS deployment Demographics Energy resources Electricity production Carbon storage capacities Field Test Type Oil bearing Gas bearing Sali ne aquifer Coal se am Partne rships MRCSP MGSC SECARB SWRP WESTCARB Big Sky PCOR Terrestrial MT MN Population (in millions): 5.3 Population (in millions): 1.0 MA Population (in millions): 6.6 TX Population (in millions): 24.8 This study includes identifying: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Frequency of CCS coverage Differences between newspapers based on proximity to energy production and/or political centers What social functions the coverage emphasizes Whether the technology is portrayed as a risk and/or benefit The level of attention given to climate change as a driver for the deployment Selected 3 newspapers from each state Highest circulated newspaper Newspaper from the state capital or a different geographic region Newspaper covering area closest to major energy technology activities Search terms: CCS and variants, carbon capture and variants, carbon storage and variants and/or clean coal Found in: title and/or lead paragraph of an article Frames Technical Economic Environmental Health & Safety Political/Legal Aesthetic Other Risks/Benefits Newspapers included in the news media analysis Newspaper Massachusetts Minnesota Montana Texas Type Highest Boston Globe circulation State capital or different region Minneapolis Star Tribune Springfield St. Paul Pioneer Republican Press Billings Gazette technologies Cape Cod Times Chronicle Austin Missoulian AmericanStatesman Closest to energy Houston Duluth News Bozeman Daily Tribune Chronicle Midland Reporter Telegram Massachusetts Minnesota Montana Texas Midland Reporter Telegram Austin American-Statesman Houston Chronicle Bozeman Daily Chronicle Missoulian Billings Gazette Duluth News Tribune St. Paul Pioneer Press Minnesota Star Tribune Cape Cod Times Springfield Republican Boston Globe Number of Articles 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Technical Political & Legal Other Health & Safety Environmental 40% Economic 50% Aesthetic Percent Coded Utterances 60% Massachusetts Minnesota Montana Texas 30% 20% 10% 0% 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 35 1992 40 1991 1990 Number of Articles 45 Massachusetts Minnesota Montana Texas 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Massachusetts Minnesota Montana Texas Midland Reporter Telegram Austin American-Statesman Houston Chronicle Bozeman Daily Chronicle Missoulian Billings Gazette St. Paul Pioneer Press Minnesota Star Tribune Boston Globe Percent Coded Utterances 100% 90% 80% 70% Technical 60% Political & Legal Other 50% Health & Safety Environmental 40% Economic Aesthetic 30% 20% 10% 0% The success of FutureGen in the Permian Basin will not only help meet strict environmental standards through the use of clean coal technology, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but the applied technology will capture CO2 that can be used to produce more Permian Basin oil ("green oil"). It will produce more jobs, generate more State and local revenue and reduce our country's dependence on foreign oil. I like to think of it as the "Greening of the Oil Patch" (Midland Reporter Telegram Staff 2006). 90% 80% Percent Coded Utterances 70% 60% Technical Political & Legal Other Health & Safety Environmental Economic Aesthetic 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Risks Benefits Massachusetts Risks Benefits Minnesota Risks Benefits Montana Risks Benefits Texas Massachusetts Minnesota Montana Texas Midland Reporter Telegram Austin American-Statesman Houston Chronicle Bozeman Daily Chronicle Billings Gazette St. Paul Pioneer Press Minneapolis Star Tribune 90% Boston Globe 100% Climate Change and Variants 80% Emissions 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Media in all states emphasized political/legal, economic and technical social functions Media gave moderate attention to environmental science and to human health and safety, and minimal attention to aesthetics Media emphasized benefits, rather than risks associated with CCS, indicating a positive perception toward CCS and its future implementation Newspapers closest to CCS projects published more articles than other newspapers Emphasized benefits more strongly than other newspapers The connection between climate change and CCS was not uniformly emphasized in news coverage Stories often mentioned climate change, but tended to emphasize more temporally and spatially immediate benefits Science and technology has become part of the public conversation when they encroach on other social functions such as politics and economics Unlike wind and other renewable energy sources, CCS only makes sense in a world with deep constraints on CO2 emission While CCS takes advantage of existing infrastructure, regulations, social norms and legal experience with the fossil fuel industry, integration challenges remain With more projects coming on-line, however, it is reasonable to assume that media coverage of CCS activities will continue to increase The rich resonance between function systems in news coverage highlights the potential for using CCS as a productive social response to climate change