Carbon Capture Facts: June 2018

 Note: This month’s edition of Carbon Capture Facts highlights the major announcements made at CO₂NNECT 2018, the first national leadership conference on carbon capture, which was held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming from June 17-19. While only one of the announcements was made by the Carbon Capture Coalition, they all relate to the advancement of carbon capture technologies so we’re including all of them in this special edition. 

 Launch of National Carbon Capture Leadership Council 

• On Monday, June 18 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 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 deployment.

• The National Carbon Capture Leadership Council will be coordinated and staffed through the Carbon Capture Coalition. 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.

Fast Facts 

• The Council’s inaugural members include:

• The Council’s objectives include the following:

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

Why This Matters 

• The National Carbon Capture Leadership Council is the newest national effort to catalyze support for carbon capture and elevate it as a priority on our nation’s political and policy agenda.

• Within hours of announcing the Council’s formation, inaugural Council member Vicki Hollub, CEO of Occidental Petroleum, announced a partnership with White Energy to study the feasibility of a new carbon capture project for enhanced oil recovery. This is the first such project to be announced in response to passage of the FUTURE Act reforming the 45Q tax credit in February of 2018.

Debut of Governors’ Partnership for Carbon Capture 

• On Tuesday, June 19, Governor Matt Mead (R-WY) and Governor Steve Bullock (D-MT) announced the launch of a new bipartisan national effort to provide state executive leadership, focus and outreach on behalf of carbon capture policy and technology deployment. The Governors’ Partnership for Carbon Capture will initially be led by the two governors.

• In addition to Mead and Bullock, the other Governors confirmed to participate at the time of the announcement were: Governor Mary Fallin (R-OK), Governor Jeff Colyer (R-KS), Governor John Bel Edwards (D-LA), and Governor Gary Herbert (R-UT).

Fast Facts 

• Through the Partnership, Governors will work together to:

o    Elevate carbon capture and its beneficial utilization and storage as a national priority for American energy independence, job creation, environmental stewardship and global technology leadership
o    Encourage congressional and presidential action to expand the portfolio of federal policies to put carbon capture on an equal footing with other low and zero-emission energy technologies
o    Foster carbon capture and CO₂ pipeline infrastructure deployment in states and regions by identifying state policies and programs to complement 45Q and other federal policies and by forging public-private partnerships to support critical projects and overcome barriers to developing, financing and implementing them

• The Partnership will undertake analyses, make policy recommendations, and harness the leadership of participating Governors to accomplish these objectives.

Why This Matters 

• The Partnership will undertake initiatives and support policies that further the development and deployment of carbon capture projects and CO₂ pipeline infrastructure across the United States. Wyoming Governor Matt Mead explained, “There is tremendous promise in the work taking place with CO₂. I am eager to continue to learn and support innovative ideas with my colleagues from around the United States. This meeting brings people, who share a vision of what is possible in carbon capture, together. We can explore untapped potential and do even more.”

Announcement of Regional Carbon Capture Deployment Initiative 

• On Tuesday, June 19, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and Montana Governor Steve Bullock also announced a new effort to promote broad-scale deployment of infrastructure for carbon capture, CO₂ pipelines, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), other forms of geologic storage, and beneficial utilization of CO₂ in the Northern Plains/Rockies and Midwest regions.

• Dubbed the Regional Carbon Capture Deployment Initiative, the effort is intended to build on recent bipartisan congressional reform of the federal 45Q tax credit for CO₂ storage and beneficial use. It has been developed under the auspices of the State Carbon Capture Work Group convened by Governors Mead and Bullock.

Fast Facts 

• Phase One of the Initiative is underway and includes baseline mapping, cost analysis, pipeline modeling, outreach to governors and state officials and identification of state, industry and other stakeholder and expert participation.

• Phase Two of the Initiative will launch in the third quarter of 2018 with the convening of state officials with stakeholders and technical experts in the two regions.

• Phase Three, planned for late 2018 and beyond, will focus on modeling and planning support of project deployment. Participating state officials, stakeholders and technical experts will also work to identify federal and state policy options for closing remaining cost gaps for specific capture and pipeline projects after accounting for the 45Q tax credit.

Why This Matters 

• Successful deployment of new carbon capture projects and CO₂ pipeline infrastructure will boost innovation and reduce costs, further accelerating the adoption of carbon capture technologies. This regional effort will “bring together state officials with diverse stakeholders to focus on infrastructure build-out for carbon capture and will apply research and data to catalyze action on deployment in states through cooperative regional efforts,” according to Brad Crabtree, Great Plains Institute Vice President for Fossil Energy.