Welcome to your weekly Rundown, for the week ending April 3.
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Please stay safe and healthy, wherever you're reading this week.
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 EPA Moves Toward Allowing Wyoming to Permit Many More
Carbon Capture Projects
Simultaneous efforts to give EPA more resources to evaluate
Earlier this week the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed a rule granting Wyoming “primacy” to issue permits for carbon dioxide injection wells for dedicated storage projects under EPA’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI well programs. The expanded 45Q tax credit has stimulated new commercial interest in dedicated carbon sequestration, an alternative process to enhanced oil recovery. The Wyoming delegation including Sens. John Barrasso, Mike Enzi and U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney were quick to praise this move.
“Wyoming is ready and capable of permitting many more carbon capture projects,” said Barrasso.
“In Wyoming, we know that you have to be willing to invest in technological innovation to create a more sustainable future for coal and our energy industry, and this announcement proves that our state is effective in these efforts,” Enzi said.
“Wyoming has the cleanest coal in the world and a proven track record of leadership when it comes to carbon capture technology. This proposal will enhance Wyoming’s energy production opportunities, creating more jobs and economic growth for our rural communities,” said Cheney.
Read more from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
There is also a simultaneous effort, led by U.S. Reps. Marc Veasey (D-TX) and David McKinley (R-WV), to have House appropriators focus on an increase in funding for the EPA’s UIC program, specifically to bolster resources to support the Class VI Well program. Other members supporting these efforts are Scott Peters (D-CA), Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX), Randy Weber (R-TX), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and Conor Lamb (D-PA). Read more
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COVID-19: Clean Energy and Climate Impacts
On Monday April 6, ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell will join a panel hosted by the Atlantic Council entitled: COVID-19: Clean energy and climate impacts. Julia Pyper, Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center at the Atlantic Council, and Senior Editor of Greentech Media will moderate the discussion with Rich and the following panelists.
Adnan Amin
Former Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency
Distinguished Fellow, Global Energy Center
Atlantic Council
Rachel Kyte
Former CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for
Sustainable Energy for All Dean, The Fletcher School
Tufts University
Ethan Zindler
Head of Americas
Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Economic downturn, cheap oil and gas prices, and global supply chain disruptions may have major consequences for clean energy development in the wake of a prolonged global shutdown.
Read more about the event and register here
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Harnessing Heat:
How the Federal Government Can Advance Geothermal Energy
ClearPath and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation partnered on a report Harnessing Heat: How the Federal Government Can Advance Geothermal Energy.
There is a virtually limitless supply of energy right beneath us: geothermal heat. The Earth’s core produces heat that radiates out to the subsurface. This heat, which 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 and can provide multiple economic benefits. Because geothermal electricity is reliable, always-on energy, it is an excellent match for a grid replete with intermittent renewables like wind and solar energy.
Geothermal technologies have been employed for over one hundred years. But while wind and solar energy have rapidly grown over the past few decades, geothermal has struggled to scale up beyond niche applications. Geothermal energy’s relatively slow growth can be attributed to a combination of unmet technical challenges and policy barriers, and an inability to fully leverage state and federal renewable energy policies that have boosted wind and solar energy’s growth.
Read the report here
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$22 Million for Direct Air Capture Research from Dept. of Energy
This week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to provide up to $22 million for direct air capture technology breakthroughs Read more from DOE here
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$22 Million from DOE for Marine Energy Foundational R&D and
Testing Infrastructure Upgrades
The Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) announced a $22 million funding opportunity for non-federal research and development (R&D) and expanded testing capacity to advance the marine energy industry. Read more
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 Atomic Wings Webinar:
The Importance Of New Nuclear Generation To Emissions Reduction
ClearPath’s Managing Director of Policy, Jeremy Harrell, moderated a webinar with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy on how important nuclear is to emissions reduction. DOE Assistant Secretary of Nuclear, Dr. Rita Baranwal gave open remarks and the panelists included:
Shannon M. Bragg-Sitton, Ph.D.
Lead, Integrated Energy Systems
Idaho National Laboratory
Jason Herbert
Director, Government Relations
Energy Northwest
Pam Gorman Prochaska
Director, Nuclear Regulatory Policy & Strategy
Xcel Energy
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
GTM: The 5 Most Promising Long-Duration
Storage Technologies Left Standing
GreenTech Media published a story on how a low-carbon grid of the future will need longer-duration storage. Their analysis shows that few storage technologies have succeed at scale yet, but several are showing great promise. Read the story here
Spoiler of GTM’s “best bets”:
- Pumped hydro
- Stacked blocks
- Liquid air
- Underground compressed air
- Flow batteries
Forbes: The US Comes One Step Closer To
Producing Commercial Fusion Power
According to 300 researchers, fusion power is closer to becoming a reality. A column in Forbes highlights a report released in March on how the U.S. can achieve a commercially-feasible source of fusion power. Read more
45Q To Be Part of Major Carbon Capture Natural Gas Power Plant
The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) will be partnering with power infrastructure company Starwood Energy Group Global and Elysian Ventures, a project developer who specializes in carbon capture projects, to develop a large-scale carbon capture facility that will be integrated with a natural gas power plant. The location of the natural gas power plant has not yet been announced, but you can read more about the financing agreement and their plans to utilize the 45 Q credit here.
 LISTEN:
Rich Joined National Review Podcast: Cleaner, Safer, Cheaper Energy
Rich joined the National Review podcast, "The Editors," with Rich Lowery recently. In the 45 minute episode "Cleaner, Safer, Cheaper Energy," Rich lays out the ClearPath vision and answers specific questions on why Republicans are embracing clean energy innovation policies. They also discuss what new technology means on the global scale.
National Review Podcast: Cleaner, Safer, Cheaper Energy
 New Poll: “Clean Energy Innovation” Very Popular With Voters
Wondering what constituents in your state think of clean energy innovation? ClearPath launched a new nationwide poll this week, with data for every state and every Congressional District.
A 3,000 person nationwide survey conducted by Kristen Soltis Anderson’s firm Echelon Insights shows respondents across the country, including in some of the most conservative parts, believe clean energy innovation is a better path than government regulation.
Clean Energy Poll Highlights:
- 89% Believe it is possible for the U.S. to develop cleaner energy sources that can also provide more affordable energy.
- 87% Believe clean energy is an issue that Republicans in Congress SHOULD care about, only 50% believe they do.
- 58% Say that instead of regulation, they believe more innovation and better technology that lets us reduce carbon emissions is the best way to fight climate change.
Scaling Energy Storage Is a Climate Action Enabler
This week ClearPath’s Rich Powell and Rocky Mountain Institute's James Newcomb published an op-ed in Morning Consult encouraging the federal government’s continued investments in grid scale energy storage. For example, The Department of Energy’s Energy Storage Grand Challenge, included in White House’s 2021 budget request, is meant to turbocharge the development of energy storage from basic R&D through commercialization. Read their op-ed
CSIS Report: Geopolitics of Nuclear Energy, Russia and China
The Center for Strategic & International Studies published a report this week, The Changing Geopolitics of Nuclear Energy: A Look at the United States, Russia, and China. The report talks about how “Russia is boosting its dominance in new nuclear sales, and China is doubling down on its effort to become a leader in global nuclear commerce.”
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THE PATH AHEAD
April 6: The Atlantic Council will hold an online panel discussion: COVID-19: Clean energy and climate impacts. Details and registration here
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