The Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset has invited key policy and decision makers from across New England for a one-day carbon capture and storage seminar on October 24 starting at 8:30 a.m.

The focus of the day will be a greater understanding of coal gasification and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies in the context of our nation's need to reduce CO2 emissions and address global climate change.

"These technologies could be very important in the global effort to address climate change," said Chewonki President Don Hudson. "Therefore, regardless of Chewonki's position for or against the locally proposed coal gasification plant, our staff and leadership felt it was important for us all to understand this emerging technology."

Hudson added that the seminar is designed to be a high-level educational gathering and will also help Chewonki fulfill its legal obligation to provide "A Forum for Environmental Policy Dialogue," under the 1998 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission settlement agreement with Maine Yankee. Chewonki's Board of Trustees has taken no formal position on the proposed coal gasification plant and is not expected to do so until after the seminar. The seminar is being co-funded by Chewonki, the Oak Foundation and an anonymous environmental donor. Funding generously offered by Twin River has been declined.

This seminar is a science-based forum on the opportunities and challenges of CCS technologies. Presenters will be asked to discuss the proposed Twin River facility design and CCS opportunities from the perspective of their area of expertise. As such, it will provide a forum for the exchange of information on the state of knowledge of carbon capture and storage from top researchers in the field.

Speakers include Howard Herzog, program manager for the Carbon Sequestration Initiative at MIT; Joe Chaisson, Research and Technical Director for the Clean Air Task Force; Jay Braitsch, Director of Strategic Planning for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy; with opening remarks from David Littell, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. (See below for a complete list of speakers and biographical information).

The seminar has been organized by The Chewonki Foundation with consulting assistance from Potomac-Hudson Engineering, an environmental consulting firm with substantial experience in the carbon capture and storage field, including specific expertise in evaluating the environmental impacts of deploying carbon capture and storage technologies. Potomac-Hudson Engineering is also conducting a life cycle CO2 analysis of the proposed facility that will be presented at the seminar.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies have emerged as a solution to meet projected energy demands and make reductions in CO2 emissions that contribute to global climate change. The proposed Twin River Energy Center plans include consideration of these technologies. Because CCS is a new technology, there is a need for information-sharing and education regarding its potential and limitations.

The goal of this event is to provide key stakeholders and decision-makers with high-level information regarding CCS technologies to enable informed decisions about future power production in the Northeast.

There will be an evening forum from 7 to 8:30 p.m. that will include questions and answers for key speakers and local citizens. This segment is free and open to the public.

Due to limited space, this is an invitation-only event. However, Chewonki does not wish to discourage participation. Please contact Betta Connor (betta@chewonki.org) if you would like to be invited, space providing.

For a complete agenda of the day, go to www.chewonki.org.

Speakers presenting at the sem i nar include the following:

Joe Chaisson, Clean Air Task Force: Joe Chaisson is the Research and Technical Director for the Clean Air Task Force (CATF). The CATF is a national environmental advocacy organization with a focus on protecting the Earth's atmosphere and human health from air pollution and climate change. CATF works with state and regional environmental groups, state governments and private project developers to facilitate early domestic deployment of coal gasification technology-with carbon capture and geologic sequestration (storage) where currently feasible.

Eric D. Larson, Princeton Un i versity. Larson is on the research faculty at Princeton University as a senior member of the Energy Systems Analysis Group at the Princeton Environmental Institute. He is also an affiliated faculty member in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Program of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. His research interests include engineering, economic, and policy-related assessments of advanced clean-energy systems, especially for electric power and transport fuels production from carbonaceous fuels (biomass, coal, natural gas) and for efficient end use of energy.

Howard Herzog, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Howard Herzog is the program manager for the Carbon Sequestration Initiative at MIT. He has a long history in the carbon sequestration field and has been involved in work on many aspects of CCS, including participation in the preparation of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Carbon Capture and Storage. He co-authored a recent paper on the options for 'capture ready' power plants.

Jennie Stephens, Clark Unive r sity: Jennie Stephens is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy in the Department of International Development, Community and Environment at Clark University in Worcester, Mass and she is also an associate of the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Her research, teaching, and community engagement focus on accelerating a societal transition toward sustainability with a focus on energy technology innovation for climate change mitigation. Understanding socio-political factors influencing energy technology decision-making, demonstration and deployment of emerging energy technologies, and the advancement of carbon capture and storage technology have been recent focuses of her work.

Jay Braitsch, U.S. Department of Energy: Jay Braitsch is a Director of Strategic Planning for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy. In this capacity, has represented the Department in numerous venues, including key International efforts including acting as the DOE representative for the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas Program. In addition to serving on the Headquarters' management team for the Carbon Sequestration Program, Jay also has a leadership role in evaluating the benefits of Fossil Energy R&D programs. The DOE Coal R&D Program consists of several hundred projects related to technology areas such as integrated coal gasification/combined cycle electricity, carbon sequestration, fuel cells, advanced turbines, mercury control and coal to liquid/gaseous fuels.

Ken Hnottavange-Telleen, Schlumberger: Schlumberger Carbon Services North America (SCS) is involved in active and planned CO2 geologic storage projects in several U.S. states. Extensive research on the geologic storage of CO2 is conducted at Schlumberger research laboratories in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Paris, France. Representing SCS, Ken Hnottavange-Telleen will discuss Schlumberger developments and lessons learned, as they apply to the challenges and opportunities for storage in the Northeast. Mr. Hnottavange-Telleen is a geologist with extensive background in resource exploration, hydrogeology, and environmental issues.

Sarah Forbes, Potomac-Hudson Engineering : Sarah Forbes is a Senior Environmental Scientist and Climate Change Specialist for Potomac-Hudson Engineering, inc. Her publications include work on regulatory barriers for CCS, the role of CCS in state climate change activities, and guidelines for reporting CCS projects as greenhouse gas reductions. She previously led the education and outreach efforts for the Department of Energy's Carbon Sequestration Research Program and Regional Partnership effort and was on the strategic programmatic development team.