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A government watchdog has slammed energy chiefs for spending $1.4 billion of taxpayers’ money studying ill-fated carbon capture schemes that were not likely to help tackle climate change.
The Department of Energy (DOE) between 2018 and 2023 poured cash into 654 carbon capture projects without properly checking they were worthwhile, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The audit is especially alarming as many more taxpayer dollars are headed for carbon capture research — President Joe Biden has set aside $12 billion for such studies under his signature Inflation Reduction Act.
Some experts say capturing and storing carbon pollution can limit the heat-trapping gases from burned fossil fuels, but critics say it’s hugely expensive and nigh impossible to carry out at scale.
For its audit, the GAO focussed on the DOE’s ‘risk reviews’ of 40 research projects, which probe how grant money is spent and whether it can help the fight greenhouse gas emissions.
President Joe Biden plans to spend $12 billion on carbon capture research under his signature Inflation Reduction Act
Some experts question the value of carbon capture plants, like this one at a power station in Richmond, Texas
Auditors found several instances where the department spotted risks but dolled out taxpayer cash anyway.
Energy chiefs were often ‘overly optimistic’ about the results they would get, says the 29-page audit.
It botched as many as 25 reviews, the GAO says, using practices that could ‘undermine the likelihood of project success.’
In one case, the department dropped $14.6 million on a study that did not merit the cash, and later hit delays and cost overruns.
Researchers in that project had not even checked to see if it was possible to store carbon at the location proposed in their grant application.
That study is now $5.1 million over budget and more than a year behind schedule, says the audit.
The DOE ‘engaged in some practices that could expose taxpayer funds to the risk of funding unsuccessful projects and undermine the likelihood of project success,’ auditors concluded.
They urged the department to be choosier about which projects to fund and to study the risks more carefully.
The capture process involves pulling carbon from power plants and other sources and storing it safely underground
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks at a clean energy meeting in New York City
Auditors found that the Department of Energy spent $1.4 billion of taxpayers’ money on research on ill-fated carbon capture schemes
Brad Crabtree, the US Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, in a response letter said the department would follow the warnings.
The department did not answer DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
It’s not the first time energy chiefs have been scolded over carbon capture schemes.
In 2021, auditors found that the department spent $472 million on projects that were never built.
The audit comes as carbon capture is under renewed focus because of the massive cash injection into research under the IRA, and new rules on carbon emissions from power stations.
Scientists and engineers are turning to carbon capture technologies in a desperate effort to cut heat-trapping gases for fear of worsening wildfires, storms, and droughts.
The process, which involves pulling carbon from power plants and other sources and storing it safely underground, has attracted much attention and investment in recent years.
But critics say it is a waste of time, money and effort.
Basav Sen of the Institute for Policy Studies, derides carbon capture as ‘speculative’ science.
Dr Faith Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, says it’s an ‘illusion’ as the amounts of carbon capture needed to make a dent in climate change are ‘implausibly large.’
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The post Energy chiefs wasted millions on ‘overly optimistic’ carbon studies for Biden’s climate agenda appeared first on Energy News Beat.
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