WASHINGTON, June 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Geological Survey said it is technically possible to store more than 3,000 gigatons of carbon dioxide underground in the United States.
Carbon capture and storage technology is one of the ways in which governments are working to deter climate change said to be linked to man-made activities like fuel consumption.
The U.S. Geological Survey assessed 36 potential carbon storage basins in the United States and found there is the potential to store more than 3,000 gigatons of CO2 underground.
U.S Interior Secretary Sally Jewell described the research as "ground-breaking."
"If enough of this capacity also proves to be environmentally and economically viable, then geologic carbon sequestration could help us reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change," she said in a statement Wednesday.
President Obama said this week he would help address pollution issues in part by advocating carbon-capture technology.
"I'm calling for an end of public financing for new coal plants overseas unless they deploy carbon-capture technologies, or there's no other viable way for the poorest countries to generate electricity," he said.
The International Energy Agency said carbon capture could cut carbon dioxide emissions from the industrial sector as much as 4 gigatons by the middle of the century.
The USGS did not asses the economic viability of regulatory restrictions on carbon capture in the United States.