As the White House and Congress spotlight climate change issues, myriad of proposals and bills are being discussed and introduced. The area of carbon storage and sequestration is one of those areas receiving attention. Scientists and researchers have been exploring new ways to remove and store carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). It is one method of reducing the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere with the goal of reducing global climate change. There are generally three types of sequestration: biologic, geologic and technological.

Biologic sequestration refers to the storage of CO₂ in vegetation, such as grasslands or forests, as well as soils and oceans. Proposals to enhance soil conservation, promote forestation and healthy forests, expand grassland areas and protect wetlands are a few examples of initiatives utilizing biologic sequestration to capture and store atmospheric carbon.

Geologic sequestration is the process of storing CO₂ in underground geologic formations or rocks. The CO₂ is pressurized until it becomes a liquid and then injected into porous rock formations or in a geologic basin. For example, carbon is captured from industrial sources, such as steel or cement production, or an energy-related source such as a power plant or natural gas processing facility. Then, the carbon is integrated into porous rocks for long-term storage. This method of carbon storage is sometimes a part of enhanced oil recovery, also known as tertiary recovery, because it is typically used later in the life of a producing oil well. In enhanced oil recovery, the liquid CO₂ is injected into the oil-bearing formation in order to improve the flow to the oil well. Many policymakers and industrial stakeholders view development of this type of sequestration as a way to allow for the use of fossil fuels until another energy source is introduced on a large scale.

Technological sequestration removes and stores carbon from the atmosphere, and then uses it as a resource. The science community has been looking for new ways to remove, store and use it. For example, graphene is a technological material needed to create screens for mobile phones, computers and other technological devices. CO₂ is a necessary raw material to produce graphene.

Whether creating public-private partnerships or establishing pilot programs to help commercialize new technologies to capture, store or reuse carbon dioxide, science, research and development funding will be on the table for lawmaker consideration.