Regionwide Television Premiere of "Nature in the Balance" on Prairie Public Television

May 9, 2005, GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has released the new documentary "Nature in the Balance: CO2 Sequestration" in partnership with the award-winning producers at Prairie Public Television. "Nature in the Balance" will make its regionwide premiere on Prairie Public TV on Thursday, May 12, 2005, at 8:30 p.m. CT.

A sneak preview of the video will be shown on Wednesday, May 11, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the EERC's Discovery Hall. Prairie Public Television Director Bob Dambach, EERC Director Gerald Groenewold, and EERC Senior Research Advisor Ed Steadman will give brief introductions. The preview is open to the media.

The half-hour video introduces audiences to the capture and long-term storage (sequestration) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in North America. The video focuses on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory's (NETL's) seven Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships and describes their role in assessing opportunities for reducing CO2 emissions worldwide to reduce the risk of global warming.

"There is growing concern that increasing CO2 in the atmosphere might affect global climate and weather," said Steadman. "Affordable energy not only fuels our vehicles and electrical plants, it also fuels our economy and our quality of life. However, most of today's energy technologies release CO2 into the environment."

Because the majority of CO2 from human activities comes from the use of fossil fuels, stabilizing CO2 levels in the atmosphere would mean making changes in the way we fuel our vehicles, heat our homes and businesses, power our industry, and generate electricity. New technologies such as CO2 sequestration will allow us to use our resources sensibly without damaging our environment.

DOE has identified several strategies to stabilize the level of CO2 in the atmosphere, including energy efficiency, alternative energy, and actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere (indirect or terrestrial sequestration) or preventing it from ever entering the atmosphere (direct sequestration) and injecting it into permanent storage zones deep underground (geologic sequestration). Experts agree that sequestration would be an integral part of managing CO2.The video explains all aspects of carbon sequestration and what is taking place in our region in this arena. It also introduces the EERC's Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership. The PCOR Partnership is one of DOE's seven regional centers designed to evaluate potential opportunities for CO2 sequestration in the Great Plains. The PCOR Partnership is made up of an international team of more than 40 partners in nine states and three Canadian provinces.

For more information, visit the UND Web site.

For more information contact: Ed Steadman, EERC Senior Research Advisor, at (701) 777-5279 or esteadman@undeerc.org.