Carbon Capture Coalition Launches to Further Adoption of Carbon Capture Technologies as a National Energy, Economic and Environmental Strategy

National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative Adopts New Brand
and Adds New Members

Washington, D.C. – February 23, 2018 – A diverse, non-partisan national coalition dedicated to fostering widespread adoption of carbon capture technologies launched in Washington, D.C. today. Building on growing momentum and political support that culminated in passage of landmark legislation in Congress earlier this month, the Carbon Capture Coalition becomes the new brand for the six-year-old National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative (NEORI). The Coalition will now undertake a more expansive agenda following accomplishment of NEORI’s signature priority, the reform and extension of the federal Section 45Q tax credit for carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage.

The Carbon Capture Coalition was announced at a press briefing at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C. that featured speakers and participants from a broad cross-section of energy, environmental, technology, industrial and agricultural interests who advocate for carbon capture technologies.

Speakers included Coalition participants Tom Trotter, Legislative Affairs Representative, AFL-CIO; Jason Grumet, President, Bipartisan Policy Center; Roger Johnson, President, National Farmers Union; Laurel Harmon, Vice President, LanzaTech; Chris Romans, Senior Manager of Government Relations, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America; Ryan Fitzpatrick, Deputy Director, Clean Energy Program, Third Way; and Roger Ballentine, President, Green Strategies and Board Member, 8 Rivers Capital (an owner of NET Power, LLC). Statements from the speakers are included at the end of the release.

“With congressional passage of the 45Q tax credit, carbon capture policy has become an important part of the national conversation on energy, job creation and emissions reductions,” declared Brad Crabtree, vice president of fossil energy at the Great Plains Institute and one of two co-conveners of the Coalition. “The Carbon Capture Coalition will harness this powerful new incentive by promoting deployment of carbon capture technology nationwide and by continuing to expand support for further policies and strategies to advance this commonsense solution.”

The growing breadth and diversity of support for carbon capture is reflected by the fact that 12 companies and organizations joined three dozen existing NEORI participants today to form the nearly 50 member-strong Carbon Capture Coalition. The new Coalition participants are: Bipartisan Policy Center, Carbon Wrangler, LLC, ClearPath Foundation, EnergyBlue Project, LanzaTech, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, National Farmers Union, NET Power, New Steel International, Renewable Fuels Association, Shell and Third Way.

“Building bridges works,” said Bob Perciasepe, President of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. “There is bipartisan support for innovation in carbon capture. We can work towards midcentury decarbonization while creating and protecting jobs and opening the door to American leadership in low-carbon technology.”

Going forward, the Coalition will broaden its mission and priorities to include:

• Enacting complementary federal and state incentives to the revamped 45Q tax credit to attract greater private investment in carbon capture projects, such as tax-exempt private activity bonds and master limited partnerships that are currently available for other energy technologies and infrastructure;
• Engaging in federal infrastructure policy deliberations in the coming months to ensure that carbon capture and CO₂ pipeline infrastructure are part of the equation;
• Maintaining robust federal support for carbon capture research, development, and demonstration to help bring the next generation of carbon capture technologies into the marketplace; and
• Working with governors, state policymakers and local stakeholders to support deployment of carbon capture, pipeline infrastructure and CO₂ utilization and storage projects in states and regions around the country.

The Coalition today launched a new website – www.carboncapturecoalition.org – and announced that the existing @CCSTechFacts Twitter account to share information about carbon capture technologies would become the official account of the Coalition (with the same handle).

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For information contact:

Ben Finzel, 202-277-6286

[email protected]

Roger Johnson, president, National Farmers Union:

“The advancement of carbon capture technologies presents tremendous opportunity for family farmers and rural communities. These technologies benefit the U.S. ethanol industry, create jobs, and reduce carbon emissions that exacerbate climate change. National Farmers Union has a long history of support for cutting-edge innovation in the energy sector that supports family farmers and the communities on which they rely, as well as carbon capture and sequestration efforts. We look forward to working with our partners in the Carbon Capture Coalition (CCC) to advance and optimize this technology.”

Laurel Harmon, Vice President, LanzaTech:

“Carbon capture and utilization reduces emissions and turns high volumes of waste carbon into useful feedstock. The scale of carbon capture is what is so exciting! We need all sustainable solutions to contribute to our current carbon and energy challenges and the Carbon Capture Coalition (CCC) will enable collaboration across multiple sectors to address environmental concerns and create jobs, increase energy security and get new products to market.”

Josh Freed, Vice President for Clean Energy, Third Way:

“Third Way is excited to join the Carbon Capture Coalition (CCC) and to continue working with other NGOs, labor, and industry to advocate for the full suite of carbon capture technologies, from natural gas plants to direct air capture to innovative ways to use captured carbon. As climate models have shown, carbon capture is important for decarbonizing not just the power sector, but also the industrial sector, and for achieving negative emissions. We worked closely with NEORI on a number of federal policy and communications efforts and with this rebranding, we’re looking forward to partnering with an even broader set of allies under the new Carbon Capture Coalition to get this vital climate technology deployed.”

Roger Ballentine, President, Green Strategies and Board Member, 8 Rivers Capital (an owner of NET Power, LLC):

“Carbon capture is now front-and-center to help the world affordably solve its climate challenges. We welcome the creation of the Carbon Capture Coalition (CCC) as we all work to advance this goal. Its diverse membership demonstrates the breadth of support that exists for carbon capture, and continued advocacy by the Coalition will help to accelerate the deployment and wide-scale adoption of technologies like NET Power, which are critical to our clean energy future.”