CHAMPAIGN, Ill., 4/3/23: Sallie Greenberg, a principal research scientist at the Prairie Research Institute (PRI), has been selected as a member of one of the two new White House Council on Environmental Quality task forces to guide the development of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) technologies in the United States. Task force members will provide recommendations to the federal government on federal permits of carbon dioxide pipelines and ensure that CCUS processes are science-based.
The task forces, one for development issues on federal lands and one on non-federal lands, are required by the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act, which supports continued research on CCUS technologies. The capture of manmade carbon dioxide (CO2) can potentially reduce pollution and make further progress on the President’s goal of a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
“It’s an honor and a way to put my 20-plus years of experience in carbon management at the Illinois State Geological Survey and PRI into service for the country,” Greenberg said. “It is great to see that the task forces are now in place, and we can move forward with our goals.”
At the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), a unit of PRI at the University of Illinois, Greenberg specializes in CCUS projects, strategic development, government relations, energy policy, and environmental and social justice.
Over the past 20 years, she led the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) and the Illinois Basin - Decatur Project in Decatur, IL, which successfully demonstrated the safe geologic storage of CO2 at an almost-commercial scale. The project met the goal of storing 1 million metric tons of CO2, which was one-third of the carbon emissions from the Decatur ADM Biofuel Plant in a three-year period, into the Mt. Simon Sandstone more than one mile below ground.
She has also consulted for or contributed to more than 30 energy and carbon capture and storage projects globally, several of which are ongoing.
In 2022, Greenberg and other PRI scientists developed a report for the Illinois legislature, as mandated by Public Act 102-0341, about the potential for CCUS as a climate-mitigation strategy for the state. The “Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage” report provides an assessment of state geological storage resources, a description of CCUS projects in Illinois, and best practices for carbon storage.
“Dr. Greenberg brings decades of research and application experience to this appointment, and we are extremely proud of her accomplishments and the honor of her serving in this important position,” said Praveen Kumar, executive director of PRI.
For more information about the Illinois Basin-Decatur Project and current research projects, visit the PRI website.
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Media contact: Tiffany Jolley, 217-300-2356, tjolley2@illinois.edu
