On today’s episode of The Confluence:
New lab would research direct air capture to remove carbon emissions, and it could be in Pittsburgh
(0:00 - 7:39)
A new lab will research how to remove carbon emissions directly from the air. The National Energy Technology Laboratory, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy, is deciding between Pittsburgh or Morgantown, W.Va., for the site of this facility.
Direct air capture to remove carbon from the air is currently estimated to cost between $400 and $1,000 per ton of carbon dioxide captured. The Department of Energy wants to bring that cost down to $100.
“It's easier and more cost effective to capture the emissions right at the source, like from flue gas at power plants, and the researchers that I talked to all said that this should be done first and as soon as possible,” says Anya Litvak, an energy reporter with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “But they also think that in order to get to that net zero greenhouse gas emissions, and even negative emissions, where you're taking more carbon out of the air than you're putting in, direct capture has to be part of that.”
The National Energy Technology Laboratory expects to open its direct air capture in phases, with the first stages becoming available at the end of next year.
It’s been 20 years since the events that led to the ‘Rooney Rule,” where does diversity in NFL team leadership stand?
(7:55 - 22:30)
The firings of two successful Black head coaches in the NFL in 2002, Tony Dungy and Dennis Green, led to a study of the records of Black coaches records. Dan Rooney, then owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, subsequently proposed what would become known as “The Rooney Rule.”
The original policy enacted in early 2003 required every team with a head coach vacancy to interview at least “one or more diverse candidates before making a new hire.”
“The results of the Rooney Rule have been uneven,” says Jeremi Duru, professor of law at American University, specializing in sports law and employment discrimination. “If you don't implement the rule in a sincere way, then what you're doing is you're bringing somebody in, you’re checking the box, you're going with who you wanted to go with anyway. And in the meanwhile, you’ve humiliated that person, and so that's the real tragedy.”
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
