Coalition Hosts Virtual Media Briefing on Carbon Management Technologies

The Carbon Capture Coalition recently hosted an online media briefing, featuring Coalition members from the NGO, labor and business sectors. Speakers highlighted key topics for carbon management technologies in 2023 and the subsequent challenges to deploying them. The briefing provided insights about the dramatic progress made over the course of the 117th Congress, and the integral role carbon management technologies must play in the broader effort to reach net-zero emissions and as a job retention and creation engine in the years to come. 

“[Carbon capture has] been around for a long time and it is something we already know how to do. Indeed, carbon capture has been successfully deployed at full commercial scale in the US for 50 years despite little federal support compared to other low- and zero-carbon technologies,” said Reece Rushing of Carbon America, during his remarks on carbon management’s role as a proven emissions reduction strategy. “Our first-generation capture technologies are ready for wide-scale deployment right now, but new capture technologies are also being developed that promise to significantly lower costs and improve performance as we move forward with the expansion of carbon management, and we expect incentives and funding in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to only accelerate this innovation, not unlike what we’ve seen happen with other clean technologies.”   

“We couldn’t be more excited about the federal government investing billions of dollars into carbon management and the associated infrastructure because these are also investments in America’s Workforce,” said Anna Fendley of the United Steelworkers, in her remarks highlighting the economic co-benefits of carbon management. “To us this is a down payment on the long-term investment in [industrial] jobs and these workers and committing to continuing to make things in this country like steel like cement, the things that we need to build out our infrastructure which is incredibly important.” 

Alongside Rushing and Fendley, the panel included six other Coalition members who reflect the diverse membership of the Carbon Capture Coalition, a unique bipartisan partnership between industry, conservation and environmental non-profits and labor unions. Panelists included:  

• Xan Fishman, Director of Energy Policy and Carbon Management, Bipartisan Policy Center) 
• Mahmoud Abouelnaga, Solutions Fellow, C2ES 
• Reece Rushing, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, Carbon America 
• Patricia Loria, Vice President, Business Development, Carbon Capture, Inc. 
• Keith Tracy, Chief Commercial Officer, Elysian Carbon Management 
• Ben Grove, Carbon Storage Manager, CATF (Clean Air Task Force) 
• Cecile Conroy, Director, Legislative Affairs, Boilermakers 
• Anna Fendley, Director of Regulatory & State Policy, United Steelworkers  

In addition, Coalition staff provided an overview of the current federal policy landscape for carbon management, touching on the technology’s history and recent legislative victories carbon management has enjoyed in the 117^th Congress. The briefing was moderated by Ben Finzel, President of RENEWPR. The briefing concluded with a moderated Q&A session with participating reporters. 

Watch the full briefing below: 

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The Carbon Capture Coalition is a nonpartisan collaboration of more than 100 companies, unions, conservation and environmental policy organizations, building federal policy support to enable economywide, commercial scale deployment of carbon management technologies. This includes carbon capture, removal, transport, utilization, and storage from industrial facilities, power plants, and ambient air. Economywide adoption of carbon management technologies are critical to achieving net zero emissions to meet midcentury climate goals, strengthening and decarbonizing domestic energy, industrial production and manufacturing, and retaining and expanding a high-wage jobs base. The Coalition is convened by the Great Plains Institute.