ClearPath Action Rundown 
November 15th, 2024

Happy Friday!

Congrats to U.S. incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and the Republican Congressional leadership teams who are taking shape to support the incoming Trump Administration and its forming cabinet!

1. Geothermal potential HEATS up as bill passes the House

Rep. Young Kim’s (R-CA) Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources (HEATS) Act passed the House this week by a vote of 225 to 181. Similar provisions are included in the Environmental Permitting Reform Act led by Sens. Barrasso (R-WY) and Manchin (I-WV) that has been passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee. HEATS would:

• Speed up the permitting process for geothermal energy, and
• Waive the requirement for operators to obtain a federal drilling permit for wells on state and private lands.

“The HEATS Act is just the latest example of bipartisan leadership on geothermal permitting this Congress. There is a huge opportunity to enact this legislation before the end of the year to accelerate projects,” said ClearPath Action CEO Jeremy Harrell.

From Rep. Kim: “This bill aims to expedite geothermal energy infrastructure development and production by eliminating the burdensome requirement for operators to obtain a federal drilling permit—a long and arduous process.”

2. Court rejects White House NEPA rulemaking power

A divided federal appeals court rejected the White House's authority to issue rules for how agencies should comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said the White House Council on Environmental Quality violated the separation of powers by instructing agencies how to comply with the landmark environmental law.

What’s clear: Congress needs to act to provide certainty for all on permitting. Check out our whiteboard video on the ins and outs of permitting with CEO Jeremy Harrell.

3. Potential for permitting progress in the lame duck

The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, introduced by Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Joe Manchin (I-WV), passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a bipartisan 15-4 vote earlier this year.

What’s clear: Permitting is likely to be a major focus of the incoming Trump Administration to accelerate project timelines. The current permitting bill can lock in many of these priorities in a durable, bipartisan manner to accelerate American innovation.

ClearPath Action supports this legislation that will cement America’s lead in clean energy production by:

• Shortening litigation timelines;
• Allowing categorical exclusions for clean energy projects;
• Accelerating permitting for geothermal on federal lands; and
• Eliminating delays after permits are approved.

4. ClearPath at COP29

The ClearPath team kicked off their engagements at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan focused on three key themes:

• Carbon management's role in addressing global energy emissions;
• U.S. advanced nuclear is poised for global deployment; and
• Conservatives taking bold solutions to COP29.

L to R: Landon Derentz, Atlantic Council Global Energy; Mark Brownstein, Environmental Defense Fund; Jeremy Harrell, ClearPath; Demetrios Papathanasiou, World Bank; and Jonathan Bank, Clean Air Task Force (moderator).

ClearPath CEO Jeremy Harrell spoke on a panel discussing global perspectives on natural gas and the path forward to reduce methane emissions.

The panel highlighted:

• Key insights from the recent National Petroleum Council’s study on reducing methane emissions from the U.S. natural gas supply chain; and
• The role of U.S. federal research agencies, like NASA and its U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center, in advancing next generation methane monitoring technologies that can improve the global accounting of data.

This weekend, ClearPath will join Energy and Commerce Republicans, led by Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), to highlight permitting reform and other clean energy innovations.

Reach out to Emily Johnson ([email protected]) if you’d like to connect on the ground!

5. U.S. nuclear plans to meet energy demand

The U.S. released a plan to triple nuclear power by 2050 with goals of deploying 200 GWs of new nuclear energy by constructing new reactors, restarting shuttered plants and upgrading existing facilities.

• Today, there is about 100 GW of nuclear electricity capacity, which powers about 1/5th of the U.S.
• This plan would call for an additional 35 GW in the next 10 years.

What’s clear: Rebuilding nuclear energy capacity is key to restoring America’s status as a nuclear technology leader.

Plug in: Check out this op-ed in Real Clear Energy by ClearPath Managing Director of International and Nuclear Policy, Niko McMurray.

6. NEW report: Driving high impact agricultural innovation with AgARDA

ClearPath and the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) published a report summarizing the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AgARDA) roundtable discussion both companies organized this summer, titled "Cultivating Tomorrow: Driving High Impact Agricultural Innovation with AgARDA."

The roundtable:

• Brought together agriculture innovation stakeholders across commodity groups, startups, academia, government agencies and congressional staff;
• Discussed how AgARDA (USDA equivalent to ARPA-E) is well suited to address these challenges.

What’s clear: Federal efforts for high-impact, mission-oriented, applied technology and R&D are critical to reaching across the boundaries of traditional scientific disciplines and addressing our nation’s most critical agriculture challenges.

Plug in: Read the full report by ClearPath’s Senior Policy Advisor, Jasmine Yu, and BPC’s Natalie Tham.

7. Texas A&M System working to bring more nuclear to Texas

Texas A&M University released plans to submit an application in 2026 to the NRC for an Early Site Permit (ESP). The proposed site on its campus in Bryan, Texas:

• Is projected to accommodate multiple reactors); and
• Will have a combined electrical output ranging from 10 MW to 1,000 MW.

What’s clear: The site expects various companies to provide reactors, which will foster collaboration and provide the Texas state grid with clean, reliable power.

8. Coming down the pipeline

• Thursday, November 21, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. – Tune in to Dynamo’s virtual event to hear CEO Jeremy Harrell discuss new opportunities in U.S. clean energy.

9. ICYMI

• Lee Zeldin could help speed up the backlog of over 150 applications for underground carbon dioxide injection permits waiting at the EPA.
• Exxon CEO wants the new Congress and Admin to stay focused on clean energy innovation including carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies.
• A national strategy for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) research was released.
• Advanced nuclear company Oklo has completed its environmental compliance review with DOE for its first commercial reactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
• Low-carbon producer Sublime Systems receives Phase 1 funding from the DOE for its first commercial demonstration facility in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
• The Federal Highway Administration announced $1.2 billion in grants for state Departments of Transportation to use cleaner construction materials.
• DOE announced an NOI to fund pilot-scale projects for converting carbon into valuable products, such as fuels, building materials, and other carbon-based products.

That's all from us. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

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