COMMUNICATING CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS ACROSS MEDIA A Dissertation by ANDREA MARIE FELDPAUSCH-PARKER Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2010 Major Subject: Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences COMMUNICATING CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS ACROSS MEDIA A Dissertation by ANDREA MARIE FELDPAUSCH-PARKER Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Tarla Rai Peterson Committee Members, Roel R. Lopez Billy Higginbotham M. Jimmie Killingsworth Head of Department, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr. August 2010 Major Subject: Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences iii ABSTRACT Communicating Carbon Capture and Storage Technologies: Opportunities and Constraints across Media. (August 2010) Andrea Marie Feldpausch-Parker, B.S.; B.S., Michigan State University; M.S., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Tarla Rai Peterson In 2003, the U.S. Department of Energy created regional joint government- industry partnerships as part of a larger incentive to develop carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies to address the issue of climate change. As part of their missions, DOE and their partners are responsible for creating and distributing public outreach and education materials discussing climate change and CCS technologies. In this dissertation, I sought to evaluate processes for communicating CCS to the public by examining different pathways including direct communication through DOE and regional partnership websites (Chapter I), news media from states with energy projects proposed or underway (Chapter II), and alternative strategies for communication such as an online educational game for youth (Chapter IV). My study also included focus groups in communities where CCS technologies have been piloted to determine public knowledge and acceptance of CCS (Chapter III). In Chapter I, a critique of DOE and partnership websites, I found authority to be a dominant theme throughout DOE and partnership website content, often incorporating technical jargon beyond laymen iv understanding and, in many cases, targeting industry audiences over the intended public. In Chapter II, I analyzed newspaper articles from the states of Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana and Texas using Luhmann’s social theory and the SPEED framework to determine how CCS has been framed by the media. Findings indicated that political, legal, economic and technical frames dominated, with emphasis on benefits, rather than risks of adoption. I also found that CCS reporting increased dramatically as pilot projects started to come on line. In my study of community acceptance of CCS in the American Southwest, Chapter III, I found that participants focused their conversations on industry and government knowledge, risks and unknowns of CCS and processes for decision-making. These topics also provided an impetus for caution. Skepticism and distrust of government entities and corporations influenced participant willingness to accept storage risks to mitigate for CO2 emissions. After open discussion of pros and cons associated with the technology, however, participants were more willing to consider CCS as an option, indicating a need to talk through the issue and to come to their own conclusions. Finally, in focus groups used to evaluate of an online game titled The Adventures of Carbon Bond, I found that it was difficult for participants to discuss environmental issues with students that are viewed as contentious (i.e. climate change and CCS), but that gaming was a valuable tool for addressing such sensitive subjects. Overall, these four chapters demonstrate that communication of CCS has only reached portions of the public and has not consistently connected with those potentially impacted by the technology. They also show that CCS must overcome numerous barriers to deployment, foremost of which is public acceptance. v DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this research to my husband, Israel, who has been my rock throughout this whole process from beginning to end. I would also like to thank my parents, Regina and Larry, and siblings, Renee and Loren, who have helped me through the rough patches and cheered me on through my successes. Thank you. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During my time here at Texas A&M University, I have had the privilege of working with some truly wonderful and inspirational people. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge those who have helped me along the way to the completion of my degree. First I would like to acknowledge and thank my committee members, Drs. Tarla Peterson, Roel Lopez, Billy Higginbotham and Jimmie Killingsworth for their time and patience during the course of my program. They have been a fun and exciting group with whom to work. Dr. Peterson, in particular, has given me the opportunity to travel the globe and to meet new people so that I may interact with diverse perspectives and learn about different ways of viewing and knowing the world. I would also like to thank my lab mates who have served many roles for me over the years including, but not limited to, my editors, co-authors, friends and sometimes counselors. I could not have asked for better colleagues. Though he is not in my lab, my husband, Israel, has also served as a wonderful editor and co-author. He is both insightful and practical, not to mention one very skilled note-taker when it comes to social studies. I must also acknowledge my mother who, in her retirement, was gracious enough to transcribe all of her daughter’s focus groups. Thanks, Mom. Next I would like to thank my co-authors and colleagues from other labs, departments and universities. I have learned much from these experiences and plan to put these lessons to use in future collaborative efforts. I also would like to acknowledge the staff of both the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and the Institute of vii Renewable Natural Resources at Texas A&M University. You all have been integral in keeping me afloat and moving forward through this whole process. Finally I would like to extend a large thank you to all my fellow graduate students for their support and guidance through both my masters and Ph.D. and all of my project participants who shared their life experiences and knowledge, which allowed me to write something which, I hope, will be useful and meaningful. This research was funded and supported by the Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration and the National Science Foundation with additional support from the Boone and Crockett Club. Thank you. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION .................................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................ xii CHAPTER ......................................................................................................... 1 I INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1 Background ........................................................................ 1 Justification ........................................................................ 15 Research Objectives ........................................................... 15 II COMMUNICATING THE SCIENCE BEHIND CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE: A CASE STUDY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP WEBSITES ……. ....................................... 17 Overview ............................................................................ 17 Introduction ........................................................................ 17 Methods ............................................................................. 22 Results ............................................................................... 26 Discussion .......................................................................... 36 Conclusion ........................................................................ 40 ix CHAPTER Page III SPREADING THE NEWS ON CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE: A STATE-LEVEL MEDIA COMPARISON ………….……….….…….….….……..….. 43 Overview ............................................................................ 43 Introduction ........................................................................ 43 Methods ............................................................................. 51 Results ................................................................................ 54 Discussion .......................................................................... 65 Conclusion ......................................................................... 70 IV PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST: COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPTANCE OF SOUTHWEST PARNERSHIP PILOT PROJECTS… .......... 72 Overview ...........................................................................