Happy Friday, and congrats to the new committee chairs!
1. New Congress, new committee chairs
House Republicans have confirmed committee chairs for the 118th Congress, including the following energy-specific committees:
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will chair Energy and Commerce as the first woman to hold the gavel of this prestigious committee;
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) will chair the Natural Resources Committee; and
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) will chair the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
What’s clear: The three new Chairs – all former Ranking Members of their respective committees – plan to promote domestic energy production, reduce dependence on China and Russia, and prioritize American energy independence with meaningful policies aligned with the Energy, Climate and Conservation Task Force framework rolled out last summer.
Plug in: Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers will put extra emphasis on bipartisanship and permitting reform, according to E&E News.
2. Where are infrastructure dollars going?
With new opportunities to conduct federal spending oversight in the new Congress, ClearPath’s energy infrastructure tracker will be a valuable tool for keeping track of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) awards.
The real-time tracker documents the implementation progress of projects authorized by the Energy Act of 2020 and funded by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
The interactive map shows where funds are being allocated by state and by energy technology.
The recently-added “Awards” tab also shows which projects have received award funding from DOE.
Direct air capture (DAC) startup Climeworks has successfully demonstrated their ability to pull carbon dioxide from the open air, rather than from a point source like other forms of carbon capture, and sequestered it underground – a major milestone for the DAC industry.
Climeworks’ facility in Iceland is currently one of the only operational DAC facilities in the world.
The facility’s recent success marks the first time a company has removed carbon from the atmosphere at significant scale and had the process verified by a third party.
Plug in: Learn more about DAC and other carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies and policies here.
4. The world needs more nuclear
Nuclear energy is essential to solving the global climate challenge, especially to support efforts in rapidly developing nations.
In an op-ed in Foreign Affairs, ClearPath Advisory Board members DJ Nordquist and Jeffrey S. Merrifield explain why organizations like the World Bank need to consider the math required to get to net-zero, and acknowledge there’s no way to get close to this goal without a lot more nuclear power.
Nordquist and Merrifield explain that a diverse energy portfolio is necessary to meet the world’s emissions reduction goals, and it must include nuclear. They recommend addressing this at the multilateral level with the World Bank to build more nuclear energy around the world.
On the tailwinds of submitting a standard design approval for one of their designs, nuclear developer NuScale has reached another milestone in the development of its small modular reactors (SMR).
The Project Management Committee for the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), NuScale’s planned nuclear plant near Idaho Falls, Idaho, approved a new plan for the plant with the help of the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS).
CFPP will be NuScale’s first SMR plant in the U.S., and will generate 462 megawatts of zero-emissions power.
What’s clear: American nuclear is making a comeback – not to mention the next generation of advanced reactors coming online in the U.S. this decade.
6. American uranium needed for advanced nuclear
Since the U.S. and much of the world are working to reduce dependence on Russian energy, DOE and Congress have taken steps to bolster American uranium production.
Russia has historically been the only major supplier of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which is necessary to fuel many advanced reactor designs.
Supply chain challenges stemming from Russia’s war in Ukraine have caused hurdles for American nuclear developers. Although construction will continue as scheduled, TerraPower recently experienced a delay due to the lack of HALEU availability.
What’s clear: Today, Russia dominates the global nuclear market– to effectively compete, the U.S. needs to strategically partner with allies and increase its export capabilities. Bipartisan legislation like the International Nuclear Energy Act (INEA) is a good place to start.
7. ICYMI
E&E News reports on new House Science Committee Chair Rep. Frank Lucas and his plans for climate and clean energy policy in the new Congress.
That’s all from us. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
