1. Warm welcome to our new team members!
This week, we welcomed seven new team members to ClearPath. We are excited about this growth and added depth to our team.
Welcome to the team!
What’s clear: “For ClearPath, this is tremendous growth, and something I am personally really excited about,” said Andrea Steiner, ClearPath’s Chief Operating Officer. “A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to recruit these folks, and each one offers a unique skill set that will be a huge asset to our team. One of my favorite parts of working at ClearPath is being able to help build an organization and add new talent to our team.”
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2. Jay Faison recognized for working to achieve common ground
Pictured above: ClearPath Advisory Board Member and Founding Partner of Echelon Insights Kristen Soltis Anderson and ClearPath Founder Jay Faison.
Jay Faison, ClearPath’s founder, was recognized at the Keystone Policy Center’s 30th Annual Leadership Awards for extraordinary leadership embracing Keystone’s model, spirit, and mission of creating lasting solutions through strategic collaboration.
Other honorees included:
- Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE)
- Duane Highley, CEO, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association
- Norah O’Donnell, Anchor and Managing Editor, CBS Evening News
- Hon. Willie Phillips, Chairman, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
What’s clear: “I feel very fortunate to be in a position to play a small part in a more informed and forward-looking discussion on America’s energy policy. I am an optimist about America’s ability to be the innovator and leader of the world on its energy future and to reap the benefits,” said Faison.
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3. …and for conservative leadership and problem-solving
Pictured above: ClearPath Founder Jay Faison and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC)
Photo Credits: 2023 LAMP National Summit in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy
Jay was also recognized at the Leadership Alliance for a More Perfect Union (LAMP) 2023 Summit. U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) presented Jay with the Rainey Center Civic Excellence Award for advancing American freedom and demonstrating thought leadership in public policy.
Congratulations from all of us, Jay! And thank you for your leadership!
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4. Milestone achieved for public-private partnership in fusion
Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $46 million in funding to eight companies advancing designs and research and development for fusion power plants.
The awardees include:
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems (Cambridge, MA)
- Focused Energy Inc. (Austin, TX)
- Princeton Stellarators Inc. (Branchburg, NJ)
- Realta Fusion Inc. (Madison, WI)
- Tokamak Energy Inc. (Bruceton Mills, WV)
- Type One Energy Group (Madison, WI)
- Xcimer Energy Inc. (Redwood City, CA)
- Zap Energy Inc. (Everett, WA)
What’s clear: Fusion has the potential to be a game-changing technology, and the DOE can collaborate with innovative fusion companies to demonstrate their unique designs.
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5. Exxon strikes carbon deal with Nucor
Exxon Mobil Corp. recently announced a deal with steel producer Nucor Corp. to lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from a manufacturing site in Louisiana. This is the third agreement of its kind announced by Exxon in the last seven months.
- The manufacturing site in Convent, LA will capture, transport, and sequester up to 800,000 metric tons of CO2 annually.
What’s clear: Carbon capture is a great resource to reduce global emissions, particularly those from difficult-to-decarbonize sectors like the steel industry.
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6. North Dakota approves 4th Class VI permit
The North Dakota Industrial Commission recently approved the state's fourth Class VI carbon capture and storage project. The Commission, in conjunction with the Department of Mineral Resources, issued orders approving Blue Flint Ethanol to store carbon dioxide (CO2) from their McLean County facility.
- The captured CO2 will be transported and stored in the nearby underground geologic Broom Creek Formation, which has the potential to store 220,000 tons by the end of next year.
What’s clear: The first Class VI wells took over six years to be permitted by EPA. Fortunately, as we have seen with the states who have received primacy, such as North Dakota, this timeline has been significantly reduced to a matter of months. Streamlining the state primacy process will be essential to the future of the carbon capture industry.
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7. Geothermal plants + DAC = perfect combo
Deploying direct air capture (DAC) technologies offer an exciting opportunity to add another tool to the toolbox for lowering global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
As the U.S. market continues to take shape, recognizing the complementary nature of geothermal and DAC and their massive potential is producing a true ‘win-win’ for decarbonization.
- Not only will innovations in geothermal power allow for reliable, affordable, and firm electricity generation, but
- When paired with energy-intensive DAC projects, the impact will not just be ‘carbon neutral’ but could, in fact, be ‘carbon negative,’ offsetting past historical emissions.
Plug in: Earlier this year, Houston-based geothermal energy developer Fervo announced an important new project to use its next-generation geothermal systems to power a direct air capture (DAC) facility. The announcement marks another milestone in the path towards a decarbonized economy and the expanded use of both geothermal and DAC technologies.
Plug in: Check out our new blog post, “Earth, Wind, Fire: Geothermal Plants are Perfect for Direct Air Capture” by Senior Program Director - Electricity Sector Landon Stevens.
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8. What's the deal on permitting reform?
ClearPath Chief Executive Officer Rich Powell joined ClearPath Advisory Board member Roger Martella in a conversation on permitting reform hosted by Semafor. Rich and Roger shared their perspectives on the industry outlook.
Rich highlighted the permitting agreement reached last week – stating it was a positive, constructive, and significant step. He also touched on permitting reform challenges at the federal, state, and local levels, and mentioned they must be aligned to make meaningful progress.
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9. ICYMI
Pictured above: Managing Director of Public Policy at ClearPath Niko McMurray, CEO of Radiant Doug Bernauer, Senior Project Manager for New Reactors at the Nuclear Energy Institute Kati Austgen, Executive Director of the Western Caucus Foundation Darrell Henry, Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) and Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
- Our Managing Director of Public Policy Niko McMurray participated in a panel hosted by the Western Caucus Foundation, discussing the importance of new nuclear energy technologies.
- Constellation set an industry record for blending 38% hydrogen with natural gas in a combined-cycle combustion turbine. This would reduce the unit's emissions by 270,000 metric tons annually and represents a significant step towards operationalizing hydrogen fuel blends.
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10. Coming down the pipeline
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That's all from us. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
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