Carbon capture and storage: taking action under the present law

Abstract

The report investigates the legal regime for carbon capture and storage as a method of reducing net emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The report is specially focused on options to move forward with limited numbers of changes to statutes, regulations, and policy instruments, rather than waiting for an all-encompassing new Act of Parliament. It identifies points where the existing legal and regulatory regime could be used, but perhaps only with difficulty for being ill-suited to CCS. The report concentrates on identifying those points rather than making any elaborate evaluation of the arguments for and against managing CCS under the existing arrangements.