Carbon Capture Coalition Statement on the American Jobs Plan

The Carbon Capture Coalition today issued the following statement in response to the release of “The American Jobs Plan,” a new package of infrastructure initiatives introduced by the Biden Administration. The following statement may be attributed to Carbon Capture Coalition Director Brad Crabtree.

“The Carbon Capture Coalition commends and thanks President Biden and members of his administration for prioritizing carbon capture in the “American Jobs Plan” for infrastructure announced today. Not only does this initial plan prioritize carbon capture technologies, it emphasizes carbon capture’s essential role in both achieving net-zero emissions and meeting midcentury climate goals and preserving and growing America’s high-wage jobs base in energy, industry and manufacturing.

“The American Jobs Plan prominently features key policy recommendations cited in the Coalition’s 2021 Federal Policy Blueprint, including:

• Direct pay for the Section 45Q tax credit, the Coalition’s top priority;
• Expansion of the 45Q tax credit to boost deployment in higher cost sectors critical to meeting net-zero targets, including industrial applications, power generation and direct air capture; and
• Key provisions of the bipartisan SCALE Act to provide low-interest loans and funding for the buildout of CO₂ transport and geologic storage infrastructure to capture and safely manage carbon emissions from industrial facilities, power plants and future direct air capture facilities.

“In addition, the Administration’s proposal for 10 new pioneer projects to retrofit industrial facilities for carbon capture and 15 projects to demonstrate the production of low and zero-carbon hydrogen provides a welcome and long-overdue emphasis on federal support for commercial-scale demonstration of critical technologies to reduce carbon emissions. Federal investments in commercial technology demonstration will, in turn, leverage additional private investment and job creation at a time when our nation seeks to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Indeed, carbon management provisions in President Biden’s plan will not only help put America’s energy, industrial and manufacturing sectors on a path to net-zero, but analyses by the Rhodium Group reveal the potential for creating tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of jobs from carbon capture and direct air capture deployment, respectively, if those technologies are deployed at levels needed to meet midcentury climate goals.

“Fortunately, the measures proposed today by the Biden Administration regarding deployment of carbon capture, direct air capture and CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure are echoed in widely supported, broadly bipartisan legislation introduced this Congress. These important bills provide for direct pay and a multiyear extension for 45Q, improvements to other federal incentives, and robust federal financing and funding for scaling up the development of CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure.

“The Coalition’s 80-plus companies, unions and NGOs are eager to work with President Biden and his administration and members of Congress across the political spectrum to enact this comprehensive portfolio of measures for economywide deployment of carbon capture, removal, transport, utilization and storage.”

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The Carbon Capture Coalition is a nonpartisan collaboration of more than 80 businesses and organizations building federal policy support for economywide deployment of carbon capture, removal, transport, utilization, and storage. Our mission is to reduce carbon emissions to meet midcentury climate goals, foster domestic energy and industrial production, and support a high-wage jobs base through the adoption of carbon capture technologies. Convened by the Great Plains Institute, Coalition membership includes industry, energy, and technology companies; energy and industrial labor unions; and conservation, environmental, and energy policy organizations.