Pictured above: The Congressional Delegation visited NET Power in LaPorte, TX.
ClearPath brought a delegation of Members of Congress and Congressional staff to visit the energy capital of the world to engage with key industry stakeholders and visit projects. The theme of the second annual energy tour focused on carbon capture, hydrogen production and the need to modernize permitting in America. The delegation visited…
NET Power, the world’s first supercritical carbon dioxide power plant; and
Linde’s Clear Lake HyCO Plant in Pasadena, Texas, the pioneers of clean hydrogen.
What’s clear: Texas is on the brink of an exciting chapter in its energy story, one that promises to revolutionize the industry and make U.S. energy cleaner, reliable, more secure and reduce emissions at the same time. Houston is leading the charge in developing and commercializing carbon capture technologies and is positioning the state to play a major role in the future of clean energy.
L to R: Jeremy Harrell, Chief Strategy Officer, ClearPath; Congressman John Curtis (R-UT); Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC); Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX); Dan Yankowski, President of Linde Gases, North America; Jay Faison, Founder, ClearPath; and Congressman David Rouzer (R-NC) at Linde’s Clear Lake HyCO Plant.
2. EPA moves to give Louisiana control of carbon sequestration wells
The U.S. is experiencing incredible growth in carbon capture and sequestration projects, but all the potential will be little more than talking points if projects cannot be permitted in a timely manner.
Wyoming and North Dakota alone have Class VI primacy.
Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and West Virginia are all in the application process.
What’s clear: Louisiana’s application had been pending since April 2021, despite funding in the 2021 infrastructure law specifically allocated to expedite this process. We estimate projects in the queue could capture up to 6 million tons per year of carbon dioxide in Louisiana alone!
Plug in: The International Energy Agency has said CCS will be “necessary to meet national, regional and even corporate net zero goals.” ClearPath CEO Rich Powell recently wrote in RealClear Energy on how we can advance more CCS projects with rational permitting.
Yesterday, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced the SPUR Act alongside Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who introduced the RESTART Act.
The RESTART Act would require one year timelines for Environmental Assessments under NEPA and two-year limits for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The SPUR Act reforms leasing provisions to give project developers more certainty.
What’s clear: These bills are a critical part of the ongoing permitting negotiations following the passage of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. The Senate bills both include provisions closely related to H.R. 1 to accelerate environmental reviews.
4. Public support for nuclear energy is at its highest in decades
According to a recent Gallup Poll, 55 percent of Americans are supportive of using nuclear energy — the highest in a decade.
5. ClearPath at WEF Growth Summit in Geneva
ClearPath CEO Rich Powell joined the World Economics Forum Growth Summit this week in Geneva, Switzerland and focused on three key messages for clean energy technology investment in the US. Watch the video here.
6. ICYMI
Our senior program director for electricity Landon Stevens was featured in Sierra Nevada Ally discussing permitting hurdles for the Dixie Meadows geothermal project.
Yesterday, Westinghouse launched the AP300™ Small Modular Reactor, which builds upon its long history in the nuclear industry.
That’s all from us. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
