Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Many agree that climate change is the single greatest environmental threat that we face and that human driven emissions of greenhouse gases are the primary cause. As we strive to prevent devastating global temperature increases, there is a massive undertaking to reduce such emissions in a way that impairs neither the security nor the affordability of our energy supply. While there is a very significant focus on shifting from the combustion of hydrocarbons to carbon free energy, most experts will agree that the shift cannot happen overnight. In the meantime, it is imperative that we reduce CO2 and methane emissions while continuing the production of hydrocarbons.

This course will spotlight two companies and one nonprofit that have CCS projects in the works: Occidental Petroleum, whose approach includes a massive Direct Air Capture Project; EOG Resources, which captures pure stream CO2 emissions from its field facilities; and BCarbon, whose nature-based solutions provide a pathway to achieve net-zero goals, strengthen rural economies, and realize numerous environmental co-benefits. There will be ample time for questions from the audience.

Brad Pollack serves as Deputy General Counsel and is Vice President of Oxy Low Carbon Ventures with a particular focus on CCS projects. He holds a B.S.E. in systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law.

Gordon Goodman leads EOG’s sustainability and emissions reporting and works on the development and execution of emissions reduction strategies. He holds a B.Sc. in environmental science and Masters in environmental design and environmental science, both from the University of Calgary.

Jim Blackburn is a practicing environmental lawyer, a professor in the practice of environmental law in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Rice University, and the CEO of BCarbon. He is a Rice faculty scholar at the Baker Institute and is the co-director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disaster (SSPEED) Center at Rice. Mr. Blackburn received a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. in environmental science from Rice University.