Live in a cave? Department of Energy may have some moolah for ya

If you're spelunking for global warming grant money, look no further: the Department of Energy has some cash for you -- as long as you've got access to an underground cave and don't mind perpetuating the use of coal.

The DOE yesterday announced awards of more than $126.6 million to projects in Ohio and California that are studying whether carbon can be pumped underground and stored in caverns rather than released into the atmosphere.

"Collectively, these formations have the potential to store more than 100 hundred years of CO2 emissions from all major point sources in North America,” Acting Deputy Secretary of Energy Jeffrey Kupfer said in this press release from DOE.

It's all part of a continuing drive to keep burning coal rather than switching to fuel sources that don't produce tremendous amounts of greenhouse gas.

"“Tests like these will help provide the confidence and build the infrastructure necessary to commercialize these technologies, and will enable the U.S. to continue using its vast resources of coal while protecting the earth for future generations," Kupfer said.

--Craig Pittman