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State and Local Leaders’ Guide to Carbon Dioxide Removal Technology

News Category: Statements and Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 8, 2023

Contact: Jonathon Dworkin, 202-660-1340 x5

NewDEAL Releases Guide to Carbon Dioxide Removal Technology

Overview for state and local policymakers highlights funding opportunities and policy examples that promote emerging technologies to tackle climate change

Washington D.C. – With an unprecedented summer marked by extreme heat and weather events drawing attention to the dangerous consequences of climate change and the urgent need to limit global warming, a new report from NewDEAL addresses opportunities for policymakers outside Washington to support removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and safely store it away. The guide released today explains carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies and how they work, highlights the recent influx of federal investments in these technologies through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, and shares proactive measures state and local leaders are taking across the country to promote these innovations.

“The impacts of climate change are rapidly increasing and becoming more real for every community,” said NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan. “This moment calls for an all-of-the-above climate strategy that includes accelerating our shift to clean energy to power our homes, buildings, and vehicles, while promoting innovative technologies like direct air capture that can multiply the impact of those efforts. I applaud the Biden Administration and their partners in Congress for prioritizing carbon dioxide removal in the infrastructure law and IRA, and urge state and local leaders to take advantage of opportunities to complement those initiatives. Our new report can help policymakers explore the options available to them and identify examples of state-led initiatives.”

One key technology addressed in the report is large-scale Direct Air Capture (DAC), a process that captures CO2 from the ambient air and safely stores it underground. Beyond DAC, there are several other CDR methods that harness natural processes or utilize engineering to remove CO2, such as enhanced mineralization, and reforestation, and ocean-based CDR. Together these CDR methods represent a vital strategy to reduce long-term carbon emissions, paving the way towards achieving net-negative emissions.

Read the full report here.

The report draws from information discussed at convenings featuring members of the NewDEAL network of state and local policymakers along with policy experts like Third Way's Senior Policy Advisor for Climate Management, Dr. Rudra Kapila. It references five states taking steps to support carbon dioxide removal, including where NewDEAL Leaders like Colorado Senator Chris Hansen and North Dakota House Minority Leader Josh Boschee are at the forefront of encouraging progress:

Bills sponsored by Hansen and signed into law in Colorado will make carbon management projects eligible for grants under the state’s clean air grant program and mandate the creation of a carbon management roadmap, which will offer recommendations for policies to a new state Energy and Carbon Management Commission.
Boschee has championed the successful launch of a large-scale CO2 capture project in North Dakota that has demonstrated meaningful collaboration between the private sector and state and federal governments.
California’s Carbon Removal Innovation Program will provide financial incentives for eligible projects that advance technologies for direct air capture of atmospheric carbon. Eligible projects include technology research, development and demonstration, and prototype and pilot research test centers to remove atmospheric carbon.
Montana and Wyoming, along with North Dakota have approved legislation to clarify their laws governing pore space ownership, an important component of safe carbon storage.

About NewDEAL

The NewDEAL supports a network of about 200 state and local officials -- statewide officials, legislators, mayors, council members, and other local leaders across the country -- who are pro-growth progressives. The organization brings together leaders focused on expanding opportunity, helping them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur economic growth that is broadly-earned and sustainable. Honorary co-chairs of NewDEAL are U.S. Senator Chris Coons (DE) and U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA-10).