Carbon Capture

 

 

 

Our Plan To Support Cutting-Edge Carbon Removal And Capture Technologies With Clear Climate Benefits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carbon Capture and Removal

The IPCC has concluded that the world will likely need carbon dioxide removal and storage measures to limit warming to 1.5°C. Even if greenhouse gas emissions ceased today, we will need carbon removal technology, such as direct air capture (DAC), to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to return concentrations to safer levels.


Technology does not yet exist to manufacture cement, steel, and other industrial materials without emitting carbon. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) offers the most promising means to eliminate these process emissions, but deployment-at-scale remains limited. China, India, and other countries are building new fossil-fuel power plants that may need CCUS retrofits.

 
 
 
 
 
 

The scale of the climate crisis demands that we use all available tools to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as fast as possible. The United States should prioritize a transition to clean energy while encouraging CCUS and DAC to remove excess past emissions, reduce emissions from hard-to-abate sectors, and support the developing world’s efforts to decarbonize. These measures must achieve clear climate benefits and be part of an overall strategy to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Apply a technology-neutral approach to portfolio standards e.g. allow emitting generators with CCUS to qualify under a clean energy standard and fuels from DAC to qualify under a low-carbon fuel standard.

Invest in CCUS innovation and commercialization by expanding RDD&D support, especially for large-scale demonstration projects.

Invest in RDD&D for carbon removal technologies through a coordinated federal strategy, prioritizing research in DAC, bioenergy with CCS, and carbon mineralization.

Create markets for the reuse of captured carbon in building materials and fuels through federal procurement requirements.

Incentivize CCUS and DAC deployment by modernizing and extending the 45Q tax credit for projects that provide clear climate benefits and expanding the eligibility of master limited partnerships and private activity bonds.

Expand large-scale carbon storage capabilities through demonstration and commercialization projects and increased public engagement.

Ensure robust regulatory oversight of subsurface carbon storage by increasing funding for permitting geologic storage and enforcing strong reporting and disclosure requirements.