Category: Colorado

First-of-its kind project in Colorado will bury 350,000 tons of planet-warming carbon that would have been released into the air 5/12/2022

First-of-its kind project in Colorado will bury 350,000 tons of planet-warming carbon that would have been released into the air

Payne Institute Program Manager Anna Littlefield contributed to this article about how the Colorado company Carbon America announced what it says will be the state’s first commercial-scale projects to capture and store carbon dioxide — the harmful and long-lasting greenhouse gas — before it’s released into the air.  Carbon America will build and operate a new system that siphons off carbon dioxide produced at the Sterling and Yuma ethanol plants in northeastern Colorado. The gas will then be pumped through pipelines and stored in a saline aquifer almost a mile underground.  May 13, 2022.

 

Here’s how Colorado oil and gas companies say they are getting to net-zero emissions 4/20/2022

Here’s how Colorado oil and gas companies say they are getting to net-zero emissions

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how companies are going public with their climate goals using ESG (the E stands for Environment), as mindful investors push for change. But as sustainability funds thrive, what does “E” really mean?  April 20, 2022.

Project Canary Adds to Independent Stature with 3rd Party Assessment of ESG Data by Big Four Accounting & Payne Institute 3/23/2022

Project Canary Adds to Independent Stature with 3rd Party Assessment of ESG Data by Big Four Accounting & Payne Institute

The Payne Institute is happy to partner with Project Canary on methane and emissions monitoring and data science to ensure independent verification and assessment of data and operating standards.  The Payne Institute will also perform a third-party assessment of all Project Canary internal controls and data analysis.  March 23, 2022.

New integrative scholars program offers customizable learning experiences in sustainable energy 3/15/2022

New integrative scholars program offers customizable learning experiences in sustainable energy

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Paulo Cesar Tabares-Velasco will direct a new program called Sustainable Energy at Colorado School of Mines.  The program will prepare students to hit ground running as energy professionals.  This new signature student experience will allow undergraduates from all majors to build their own hands-on learning experience in the field of sustainable energy. March 15, 2022. 

Colorado clean energy policy landscape: A case study 3/11/2022

Colorado clean energy policy landscape: A case study

Eliza Hotchkiss, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, William Toor, and Keith Hay write about how for decades, countries, states, and municipalities have established energy policies to address local air pollution and global climate change goals. The thousands of policies and measures enacted globally take various forms but are aimed at different sectors of the economy. These policies are the result of a complicated process of analysis, budgeting, management, and politics.  This paper provides an overview of the recent legislative sessions, and how the policies enacted support the Colorado Climate Change Roadmap.  March 11, 2022.

Russian oil ban unites Colorado’s Congress members, while high gas prices divide them 3/11/2022

Russian oil ban unites Colorado’s Congress members, while high gas prices divide them

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how while members of Colorado’s congressional delegation on both sides of the aisle have been quick to rally around the idea of banning Russian energy imports after the country’s invasion of Ukraine, the challenge of making up the difference remains a bone of contention.  March 11, 2022.

Mines to support new U.S. Department of Energy entrepreneurship program 3/8/2022

Mines to support new U.S. Department of Energy entrepreneurship program

Payne Institute Fellow Werner Kuhr, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation(E&I) at Mines, will support West Gate, the Department of Energy Advanced Manufacturing Office new lab-embedded entrepreneurship program, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. West Gate will provide mentorship and technical resources for promising cleantech innovators, and Mines will be supporting the effort with office space at the Beck Venture Center. Additionally, West Gate innovators will have the opportunity to participate in E&I programs like Innov8x, where they can pose problems that Mines students from all departments can brainstorm and help define, as well as come up with new potential solutions.  March 8, 2022. 

Most Downloaded Paper Award 2021 3/6/2022

Most Downloaded Paper Award 2021

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Director Christopher Elvidge received the 2021 Most Downloaded Paper Award from the Journal of Environmental Management (JEM) for the co-authored article titled Light Pollution in USA and Europe: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  The Award recognizes papers published in JEM in a given year (2019 in this case) that received the highest numbers of downloads (Web of Science) in the following three years including the year of publication (2019-2021 in this case). Dr. Elvidge’s contribution to the scientific advancement of resources, conservation and recycling fields has been highly recognized.  March 6, 2022.

Experts discuss how Russian invasion of Ukraine may or may not impact the U.S. economy 2/24/2022

Experts discuss how Russian invasion of Ukraine may or may not impact the U.S. economy

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Elizabeth Van Wie Davis contributes to this news piece about how as the invasion of Ukraine continues, several local experts say the length of Russia’s invasion may determine how big the impacts will be to the global economy.  Russia is one of the three top oil and natural gas producers in the world, along with the United States and Saudi Arabia. And so if there are fears or actualities of disruptions in global energy supplies, then that drives the price of oil up,  February 24, 2022.