Our Take

The environmental permitting process, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) must keep pace with the transition to a clean energy economy. This could be the largest continental construction project in history, and every new transmission line, wind farm, solar panel, pipeline or power plant will begin with a permit. If we are to truly build back better, the mission ought to be Build Cleaner Faster.

On February 25, 2021, ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell testified before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies in a hearing entitled, “Strategies for Energy and Climate Innovation.”

On February 18, 2021, ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell testified before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy in a hearing entitled, “A Smarter Investment: Pathways to a Clean Energy Future.”

At ClearPath, reducing power-sector emissions has been our primary focus for the past six years; however, this year, we are excited to add the industrial sector (see: manufacturing) to our portfolio. Combined with the power sector, this really expands our scope – going from tackling a quarter of U.S. carbon emissions to half.

A strong U.S. industrial sector is essential to ensuring new technologies invented in the U.S. can be manufactured domestically, rather than in China, which would result in more jobs and fewer carbon dioxide emissions.

Now that DOE has finalized the Energy Storage Grand Challenge Roadmap, the tough job of doing the work begins. The Roadmap provides clear goals for DOE to pursue in the coming years, providing new opportunities for entrepreneurs to demonstrate and scale their innovative technologies.

The reality of Democrat majorities in the U.S. Senate and the House is sending a shiver through the Texas oil and gas industry. As the 117th Congress kicks off, energy eyes are on whether President Joe Biden will use these majorities to fulfill the campaign promise that he’ll “phase out fossil fuels.” In his first big signals, he’s revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and placing a moratorium on all oil and gas-related leasing and permitting actions on federal lands.

Carbon capture enjoyed a winter flurry of federal policy victories in the waning days of 2020 and at the start of 2021. In just a little more than a week, carbon capture hit a policy trifecta: new, aggressive R&D authorizations, a carbon capture tax credit (“45Q”) extension, and final Administrative rules on how project developers can properly claim the 45Q credit.

We propose a “Clean Energy Marshall Plan” to make our energy sector cleaner AND more reliable here in the U.S. and around the globe, while making the American economy even stronger. At ClearPath, we have been working on a four-step strategy to achieve this: innovate, permit, build and export.

International leadership in the nuclear energy sector is at stake. If the U.S. continues to advance and streamline domestic efforts, while expanding our export financing capabilities, we can reclaim our role as the world’s trusted nuclear energy leader.

A moonshot goal of bringing advanced nuclear technology to market just became reality with the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program or ARDP. Congratulations to the two companies who were selected for the Advanced Reactor Development Program (ARDP): TerraPower and X-Energy!

Since the dawn of the nuclear age in the 1950s, nuclear reactors have been supplying Americans with clean, reliable, and affordable energy. Innovators of today are making great strides to bring the nuclear power of tomorrow to market soon.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is modernizing their review process. A modernized approach will be a gamechanger for future American reactor designs, enabling their deployment to aid in decarbonization.

ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell testified before the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on, “How to Achieve Clean, Reliable, Affordable and Exportable Energy in the U.S.” on October 1, 2020.

Too often, climate change policy is oversimplified to false choices. Renewables versus fossils, economy versus environment, 100% reductions around the world versus inaction here at home — these false choices ultimately cloud potential solutions.

A recently conducted study on the benefits of the 45Q carbon sequestration tax credit shows how long-term certainty could yield more clean power and manufacturing, more than 100,000 new jobs and gigatons of emission reductions.

If carbon capture technology continues to flourish and become viable for both the power and industrial sectors, it will result in more than just emissions reductions. Carbon capture has the potential to create jobs and advancements in technology, allowing the world to once again shine a light on the U.S. as a pioneer.

At this year’s Clean Energy Ministerial, ClearPath partook in the CEM’s Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy (NICE) Future initiative, which presented a new report, “Flexibility in Clean Energy Systems: The Enabling Roles of Nuclear Energy.”

It is impossible to combat global climate change and mitigate its negative impacts on the world, without confronting the exponentially growing carbon dioxide emissions problem stemming from China.

Achieving deep emissions cuts over the next 30 years won’t be easy, but better policy will lead to larger and more focused investment, and that will improve our chances of success.

ION Clean Energy – a Colorado company – is working on an exciting new development in the broader carbon capture space: “post-combustion solvent” carbon capture.

For the past decade, the United States has ceded leadership on international energy development to China and Russia, threatening the climate, our national security, and American economic growth. However, on July 23, the U.S. took a massive step towards reclaiming our role as the primary exporter of vital clean energy technologies.

America has an opportunity to take the next great leap forward and again lead the world by developing more advanced nuclear energy. The Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA) would serve as the next big nuclear innovation catalyst.

Direct Air Capture (DAC) represents exciting opportunities and technologies that a number of great innovators — as well as some great conservatives — are adding to the toolkit to lower global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions or remove it from the atmosphere.

ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell testified as the Republican witness at the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy hearing, “Reviving our Economy: COVID-19’s Impact on the Energy Sector” on June 16, 2020.

Our nuclear energy industry is at a crossroads. Nuclear, America’s clean energy workhorse, makes up the majority of our zero-carbon power. And it’s so reliable that some plants can operate non-stop for nearly two years before refueling. Right now, however, we are tragically seeing our existing fleet continue to shrink.

Long-term success means a vibrant commercial U.S. nuclear industry that can compete domestically and internationally. We are close to regaining nuclear energy leadership — building the VTR would show the world we mean business.

Just like your Spotify playlist, you never want to leave out the “oldies but goodies” — in the case of renewable energy, that’s hydropower and geothermal. The first hydropower dam was operational in 1882, while the first geothermal power plant came online in 1904.

Policies that support American workers and innovators in the carbon capture industry, is one of the biggest and best solutions available. And to put this solution on the path to success, there are two immediate things that could happen. Clarity from the IRS on the 45Q tax credit, and an extension from Congress.

There is a virtually limitless supply of energy right beneath us: geothermal heat. This heat can be harnessed for a variety of uses including electricity generation, heating and cooling of buildings, and other industrial and hybrid applications. Geothermal energy is clean, safe, and renewable.

Decisive action to support the development of U.S.-based energy storage technologies and supply chains presents a crucial opportunity to enhance U.S. competitiveness in a critical component of our clean energy future.

Project Pele is spearheaded by the Department of Defense’s cutting-edge Strategic Capabilities Office, and could lead to breakthroughs for the future of advanced nuclear.

Today marks the third birthday of Petra Nova, the first large scale carbon capture plant at a U.S. power plant. To date, only two carbon capture projects in the world have been installed at a power plant. One of the two – NRG’s Petra Nova project- can capture up to 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide each day from the Texas coal plant.

Energy sector innovation and broader efforts to address climate change should resemble the best of the tech start-ups in the U.S.: fast, disruptive, exciting and good for consumers. The Energy Sector Innovation Credit, or ESIC, would update the energy portion of the tax code by allowing cutting-edge technologies to gain commercial viability and upend the status quo without distorting the free market.

The U.S. oil and gas industry has been instrumental in the recent landmark reductions of greenhouse gas emissions seen across America. Enabled by ultra-productive natural gas harvesting methods, clean burning natural gas replaced coal as the leading source of U.S. electricity — driving a 28% drop in grid emissions since 2005.

The House Energy & Commerce Republicans hosted the first-ever “Energy & Environment Innovation Showcase” – an exhibition designed to celebrate a host of American innovators and outline a clear legislative agenda to support realistic climate solutions.

Rich Powell testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water on The Department of Energy’s Role in Addressing Climate Change.

Energy storage is a key piece to solving the clean energy puzzle. Storage technologies benefit each portion of the grid from generation to transmission over long distances to distribution to homes and businesses. Quidnet is one of the most exciting and promising companies in the grid scale energy storage space.

Geothermal is a critical, clean, renewable, dispatchable power source that deserves more attention. Geothermal harnesses the Earth’s core for heat that can be used in homes, industrial processes, or to generate electricity.

With strategies now laser-focused on affordably meeting both growing global demand for reliable and lower-carbon power, chances remain high that the new generation of miracle technologies will be created in an American national laboratory in collaboration with the U.S. private sector.

North Carolina utility, Duke Energy announced a bold plan to decrease carbon emissions 50 percent by 2030 and ultimately be net-zero by 2050. This means the company would be among the first major investor-owned U.S. utilities to set forth a plan to transition to clean energy.

Watch this ClearPath whiteboard video on the exciting new technology coming from Jupiter Oxygen, and why you should pay attention to the future of coal plants with carbon capture.

Rich Powell testifies before the House Committee On The Budget on the cost of climate change. Rich advocated for clean energy innovation and getting the committee to focus on investment over spending.

In this whiteboard video, ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell explains the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA) and why it is worth closely tracking.

In a break from our regularly scheduled programming, we wanted to highlight some hidden innovation gems being researched at the Department of Energy that could prove to be just as critical in expanding a reliable and clean power sector.

Rich Powell testifies before House Ways and Means Committee on the economic and health consequences of climate change. Rich advocated on innovative climate solutions.

Leaders of some of the world’s largest corporations have used best-in-class data to determine that climate change is a dire global risk deserving of serious solutions.

ClearPath’s Faith Smith dives into the new “launchpad” and other exciting proposals to advance long-duration energy storage technologies in the Trump administration’s FY20 budget strategy.

Do a set of little-understood but far-reaching Clean Air Act permitting requirements unintentionally impede a key tool for addressing industrial-caused climate change? ClearPath’s Faith Smith and Justin Ong dive into how New Source Review requirements can affect carbon capture upgrades at power plants and other facilities.

ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell shares observations from his trip to COP24 in Poland, including what climate activists there got right and wrong about the future of clean power.

ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell’s whiteboard video details why the future of storing nuclear, renewable and other clean power will depend on the world moving past the blood diamond of batteries.

A recent study cosponsored by ClearPath forecasted huge economic benefits tied to enhanced oil recovery and carbon capture that may sound too good to be true – until you hear it has already been happening for nearly half a century in the United States.

ClearPath’s policy chief Jeremy Harrell and nuclear expert Spencer Nelson dive into why Congress is so focused on building a versatile test reactor, which can handle energy neutrons far faster than traditional reactors, as China and Russia are trying to corner the global market.

In this digital whiteboard video, ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell (with the visual assistance of Production Director Mitch Kersey) details the results from a recent enhanced oil recovery study sponsored by ClearPath and the Carbon Utilization Research Council.

The ClearPath policy delegation focus on the importance of two new U.S.-led carbon capture and advanced nuclear initiatives launched at last month’s 9th annual global Clean Energy Ministerial – and why much more dialogue and action is still needed.

The next generation of American nuclear power is going to rest largely on the shoulders of the private sector, as it should. But the Department of Energy will continue to play an essential enabling role in nuclear.

In his latest video, ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell explains how nuclear power must adapt to continue as the workhorse of the global clean energy sector.

While there’s still a lot of work to be done, bipartisan support for nuclear continues to grow and there are more advanced nuclear companies actively engaging the NRC than ever before. The future for advanced nuclear is bright, as long as we don’t stand in the way.

Congress fixed the Section 45Q tax credit as part of a broader budget deal. But a really ambitious agenda is still needed to propel carbon capture technologies into the mainstream, drive down costs and instill sufficient investor confidence.

In his latest video, ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell explains why “moonshot” clean energy technology goals would allow the U.S. to catch up with China.

Carbon capture is not just crucial to the future of coal, it’s a valuable insurance policy for our booming natural gas industry. Tax credits for the technology will allow us to scale up carbon capture from natural gas technologies.

2017 may have been merely a crossroads for U.S. global clean energy dominance, but 2018 has the potential to be a truly banner year. With your help, we at ClearPath intend to make that potential a reality.

It’s January 2040 and the U.S. leads the world in clean energy. Thanks to a massive innovation boom, it is our fastest growing export, creating a global economic and climate win-win. Jay lays out his vision for how we can get there.

The future of clean energy will depend on scaling up technologies that can store massive amounts of both constant-running nuclear and intermittent renewable power.

At ClearPath, we’re focused on clean energy you can turn on and turn off. Solar and wind can’t do that now. But with better batteries, they could do that at least some of the time. This would partially (but not fully) address the variability of wind and sunshine.

The Energy Department’s ARPA-E agency, a widely popular and successful federal advanced energy agency now has its sights set on a new potential breakthrough: next-generation nuclear technologies.

I met recently with India’s Secretary of Coal Susheel Kumar after a speech I gave at the International Energy Agency’s Post Combustion Capture Conference in Birmingham.

There are three clear lessons that can be drawn to help policymakers support future advanced reactor development.

There are few “game changers” in the energy space. NET Power has the potential to be one of them. If successful, it will greatly simplify the process and equipment needed to produce not just cleaner power, but emission-free power from coal and natural gas.

There are new ways of creating electricity from even existing flows of water, be it pipes in municipal systems or an irrigation canal on a ranch. These systems harness the same force of flowing waters that is used by dams and large hydro projects.

At ClearPath, we work on conservative clean energy policy. Wait, what? What is conservative clean energy? We can explain and few approach these issues in exactly the way we do. Here are the top 10 reasons why we work on conservative clean energy.

President Trump’s move to fill a needed quorum at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission couldn’t come at a more crucial time. Why does this matter so much? Well, it’s complicated. We explain – in just over three minutes no less – in the first in our series of digital whiteboard videos.

It’s not easy to tell a complicated story in 30 seconds, which is what policy debates seem to be timed these days. However, nuclear’s history tells a lengthy story, and a fascinating one at that. And it’s not a history solely about nuclear. It’s about American industry.

I was encouraged to hear now-Energy Secretary Rick Perry, in his recent Senate confirmation hearing, suggest that the Department of Energy will help foster carbon capture technologies, advanced nuclear reactors and innovation through our best-in-the-world national labs.

The nuclear energy industry complicated and interconnected, which makes it’s survival needs similar to this snake. All the pieces must survive. Together the whole can truly live and thrive. Which is why nuclear is at a crossroads, a crisis point, where the industry must innovate or die. As a regulated industry, nuclear innovation depends on policy. And to get policy, we need to tell our story.

One of the more important advantages to expanding our existing and advanced nuclear fleet may surprise some: providing a pipeline for our top-skilled Navy and other military veterans to get the high-paying and rewarding jobs they deserve.

If I said that preserving our existing nuclear power plant fleet should be a top 5 American priority, you would think I was crazy. Next to jobs, the economy, terrorism and national security, something so mundane would pale in comparison, right? But nuclear energy is interwoven with those top priorities.

There’s a promising technology to make fossil fuels clean, and yet environmentalists cling to their “leave it in the ground” mentality. Adding carbon capture technology to our power plants and industrial factories can be a win for our environment and economy, but green groups say this technology is not true, not now, and not affordable.

Coal is not a four-letter expletive in India. It’s become an act of survival. If there was ever a prime example of the need for U.S.-led carbon-capture technologies, it’s India. Of the 1.2 billion people who lack access to electricity today, roughly 240 MILLION are in India. That’s about America’s entire adult population.

Imagine you’re a nuclear entrepreneur, like Jack Devanney, with a world-beating idea. Jack had built 440,000-ton oil tankers, and realized that he could cheaply build nuclear plants just like he’d built those tankers: in a shipyard assembly line. So he created ThorCon. But before building his first plant to test the idea, Jack faced a choice.

For the longest time, the left has owned this debate; calling for wind and solar, battery storage and energy efficiency. These technologies are a growing part of our energy mix but will only be a portion of our future supply. A cleaner energy future must be based on nuclear, hydropower and clean fossil fuels – workhorses that provide reliable baseload electric power 24/7.

I want conservatives to be leaders on clean energy – from nuclear to hydropower to clean fossil fuels – both to make the environment better and strengthen real conservative leadership.