Natural Resources committee  I'm not certain on terms of federal funding. I know that in Alberta some specific policies have helped fund some enhanced oil recovery pilots. Just as the capture technology needs to be proven, it's not a slam dunk that every oil reservoir will work suitably for CO2 injections. So they take one injection well and try to demonstrate over a period of months, or a year or two, that CO2 is going to be effective.

Natural Resources committee  Yes, that's certainly true. It's our view, through the work we did in ICO2N, that enhanced oil recovery is really going to provide a financial kick-start to carbon capture and storage--

Natural Resources committee  We do. Frankly, it'll stay flat, in our opinion. It'll grow to a certain point, but then if we're really going to be capturing 40, 60, or 100 megatonnes of CO2 a year in Canada, we don't believe we have that volume of market for EOR use. So the EOR volume will end up being stable, but as a percentage of total CO2 injected, it'll be reduced over time.

Natural Resources committee  I guess the point is that those EOR projects would not proceed without the support that allows the carbon capture to take place. That incremental funding is needed to allow the overall project to go ahead and to allow for the beneficial aspects of CO2 storage to take place.

Natural Resources committee  I think having a stable policy around climate change is what is most important. That policy will have to encompass some element of carbon pricing, however that's chosen, whether that's through a mechanism like a carbon tax, or a mechanism like a cap and trade, or some other mechanism.

Natural Resources committee  Yes.

Natural Resources committee  First of all, thank you very much for the question. With respect to the IEA, I believe the actual request went from the G8 to the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum to come up with some recommendations on CCS. That forum came back and said, “We believe the G8 countries should have 20 projects up and running by a point in the future, but defined and moving ahead by 2010.”

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman and honourable members, for the opportunity to speak to your committee on behalf of the ICO2N group. I would like to specify that my comments and answers to your questions will be in English. The subject is complex, and I am not bilingual. I'm sorry about that.