Carbon Capture Coalition Expands Again with Announcement of the National Carbon Capture Leadership Council

New Group to Harness Leadership Support for Carbon Capture Policy and Deployment

Jackson Hole, WY – June 18, 2018 – At a first-ever national leadership conference on carbon capture, the Carbon Capture Coalition announced the formation of a new group of private sector CEOs; labor, NGO and philanthropic leaders; and former state and federal officials committed to carbon capture technology development. The National Carbon Capture Leadership Council becomes the newest national effort to catalyze support for carbon capture and elevate it as a priority on our nation’s political and policy agenda.

The Council’s inaugural members formally announced its formation at the CO2NNECT 2018 carbon capture conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming today. They are:

• Jason Grumet, President, Bipartisan Policy Center;
• Don Gaston, President and CEO, Prairie State Generating Company;
• Vicki Hollub, President and CEO, Occidental Petroleum Corporation;
• Mike Langford, President, Utility Workers Union of America;
• Colin Marshall, President and CEO, Cloud Peak Energy;
• Bob Perciasepe, President, Center for Climate & Energy Solutions; and
• Jonathan Pershing, Environment Program Director, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The Council will be coordinated and staffed through the Carbon Capture Coalition, a diverse, non-partisan group of energy, industrial and technology companies, labor unions, and environmental, clean energy and agricultural organizations dedicated to fostering the deployment and adoption of carbon capture technology. The Council will focus on leveraging the voices of participating leaders to expand support for policies and initiatives aimed at carbon capture technology development and deployment.

“The National Carbon Capture Leadership Council is the next logical step in the development of the Carbon Capture Coalition,” explained Brad Crabtree, co-director of the Carbon Capture Coalition and vice president for fossil energy at Great Plains Institute. “The ability to marshal leadership support and engage peer-to-peer with top government, private sector and opinion leaders will enhance the Coalition’s already demonstrated effectiveness in advancing carbon capture going forward.”

The Council’s objectives include the following:

• Position carbon capture as an essential and equal component of our nation’s broader portfolio of low and zero-carbon energy options;
• Cultivate support among peer private and public leaders for a robust national carbon capture policy and deployment agenda;
• Support priority policies through personal engagement and outreach to federal and state elected officials and policymakers; and
• Encourage and support state officials and stakeholders in their efforts to deploy carbon capture and CO2 pipeline infrastructure projects.

“Carbon capture has entered a new era in which strong, bipartisan leadership by state and federal policymakers has boosted the prospects for deploying new capture projects that will be critical to meeting the country’s carbon management goals,” said Jeff Bobeck, co-director of the Coalition and energy policy director at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. “The formation of the Council represents a commitment from top business and NGO leaders to work together to ensure that this recent progress moves into high gear, and leads to further technology advancements, new applications, and the construction of a new generation of capture projects in the ground.”

The Council will host an annual meeting and quarterly conference calls to address priorities and consider opportunities. Members will also be asked to engage individually, consistent with Council priorities and members’ interests and relationships. Initial funding for the Council is provided through private sector contributions and through grants from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust and the Energy Foundation.

-###-

Media contact:

Ben Finzel, 202-277-6286
[email protected]