ClearPath Action Rundown
November 22nd, 2024
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Have a safe and Happy
Thanksgiving! We will be back in your inboxes on Friday, December
6th.
Congratulations to the DOE
Secretary nominee, Chris Wright!
“Chris Wright’s extensive experience as
an oil and gas executive, disruptive entrepreneur, and clean energy
investor will serve him well as the leader of the Department of
Energy. Chris helped advance the shale gas revolution in the U.S. and
will lead the development of clean, affordable, reliable technology
while furthering American energy leadership.”
– ClearPath CEO Jeremy Harrell
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1. ClearPath testifies before House Natural Resources
Subcommittee
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L-R: Dr. Colin Williams, Program Coordinator, Mineral
Resources Program - U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the
Interior; Cheryl Lombard, Senior Program Director - Power,
Infrastructure and Minerals - ClearPath Action; Jonathon Travis,
Principle, Severance Tax - Ryan, LLC; Derf Johnson, Deputy Director -
Montana Environmental Information Center; Frank White Clay, Chairman -
Crow Tribe of Indians. |
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This week, ClearPath’s Cheryl Lombard
testified before the House Natural Resources Energy & Mineral
Resources Subcommittee on H.R. 7807, the Intergovernmental Critical
Minerals Task Force Act. Her testimony covered:
- How Congress and the Committee can
work to meet energy demand with American supply of critical minerals
and materials; and
- Accelerating American innovation to
reduce global emissions and create jobs.
What’s clear: “Federal
permitting must shift to expedite approvals for projects that deliver
net benefits and meet legal standards for environmental laws,
including clean air and water. This is especially true for critical
minerals and materials projects due to their long development
timelines. The Task Force created in this bill will strengthen
international partnerships, domestic capabilities, and supply chains
while protecting U.S. national security and economic stability,”
said Cheryl.
Plug in: Watch
Cheryl’s opening statement here.
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2. House Republicans champion clean energy innovation
at COP29 |
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An official House Energy & Commerce
bipartisan delegation, led by Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), attended
COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Five House Republicans, including Reps.
John James (R-MI), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and
Troy Balderson (R-OH), held a press conference
highlighting:
- The importance of American leadership
in clean innovative solutions to reduce global emissions without
sacrificing economic development or national security; and
- The need for increased clean energy
innovation technologies (i.e. CCUS, nuclear, fusion &
more).
What’s clear: COP29
served as an important reminder of the U.S.’ role as a global leader
in innovation. The bipartisan American delegation emphasized the need
for market-driven solutions to lower emissions. This approach
resonates with allies, who recognize the U.S. as a driver of
technological innovation and a leader in efforts to reduce global
emissions.
Plug in: Learn more in
our recap blog by CEO Jeremy Harrell
and Senior Program Manager for Carbon Management Savvy
Bowman.
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3. Permitting progress for Hermes 2 Demonstration
Plant |
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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) announced it will issue construction permits to Kairos
Power for the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant to be built at the Heritage
Center Industrial Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
This reactor:
- Marks the 3rd construction permit
that the NRC has issued for a non-light water reactor (LWR), including
research reactors (Abilene Christian University in Texas, Kairos
Hermes, and now Kairos Hermes 2);
- Is now the first
electricity-producing Gen IV plant to be approved for construction in
the U.S.; and
- Received its construction license in
18 months, about 5 months faster
than Kairos’ first test reactor.
What’s important:
Although these are test reactors, it is encouraging to see the NRC
significantly reduce its review timeline. The NRC should continue to
ensure licensing is efficient and predictable for commercial
reactors.
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4. House passes CLEAN
Act |
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Rep. Fulcher’s (R-ID) Committing Leases for Energy Access Now (CLEAN)
Act passed the House this week by a vote of
244-171. CLEAN would:
- Require the Secretary of the Interior
to hold annual lease sales for geothermal energy projects on federal
lands and force replacement sales if a lease is missed for any
reason;
- Speed up the geothermal drilling
application process at the DOI; and
- Increase geothermal development,
supporting U.S. energy independence and meeting growing American
energy demand.
Plug in: “Nearly 90%
of our nation's geothermal resources are located on federally managed
lands. I introduced the CLEAN Act to remove red tape and require the
Department of Interior to increase lease opportunities to bolster the
exploration and development of this critical resource,” tweeted Rep.
Fulcher.
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5. OCED finalized awards for 5 out of 7 regional Clean
Hydrogen Hubs |
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DOE’s Office of Clean Energy
Demonstrations (OCED) completed
award negotiations with both the Gulf Coast and
Midwest Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs for up to $2.2B in total federal
cost share.
- The
Appalachian, Californian and Pacific Northwest Regional Clean Hydrogen
Hubs have also finalized award negotiations.
- The
finalization of these awards allows each hub to begin Phase I of hub
development which includes foundational activities.
What’s Clear: The
Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs are being implemented as part of the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and can increase American energy and
national security while tackling emissions from
difficult-to-decarbonize sectors. These Hubs have the potential to
bolster local economies and enhance domestic production.
Plug in: Developers
are still awaiting final guidance on a 45V clean hydrogen tax
incentive. Read
more on why it’s important for the IRS to get this
right.
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6. Summit’s pipeline permit gets approval in North
Dakota |
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North Dakota’s Public Service
Commission approved a permit for Summit Carbon Solutions’ CO2
pipeline. The pipeline will transport CO2
captured from ethanol facilities across the Midwest to underground
storage sites in North Dakota, which has primacy over Class VI wells
and where Summit must receive a carbon storage permit.
South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska
must also approve permits for the portions of Summit’s project in
those states.
What we
know:
- Iowa recently approved Summit's
permit;
- Summit has reapplied for a permit in
South Dakota after it was previously denied;
- Minnesota regulators will vote on a
small segment of Summit's pipeline in December; and
- Nebraska has no statewide permit
process for carbon pipelines, and Summit will need to acquire a permit
from each county it enters.
What’s clear: CO2
pipelines are essential for meeting energy security and global
emissions reduction goals. To succeed, a
streamlined permitting process for large, interstate CO2 pipeline
projects is necessary for building out this critical infrastructure at
the scale that is needed.
What’s on the
whiteboard: Learn more about the importance of modernizing
energy permitting here and the 5,300 miles of
pipelines in the U.S. here.
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7. Coming down the
pipeline |
Wednesday, December
4 at 3:50 - 4:40 p.m. – CEO Jeremy Harrell will speak on
Energy Dialogue’s North American Gas Forum panel discussing natural
gas and the next generation of clean energy technologies.
Register here to
attend. |
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ABOVE: Yesterday,
ClearPath CEO Jeremy Harrell spoke at Dynamo Energy Hub’s virtual
event with their Co-Founder and CEO Meade Harris on the new
opportunities in the U.S. for climate action and clean energy.
- The PUC
of Texas released its Advanced
Nuclear Reactor Working Group Report this week on
Texas' plan to build a world-leading advanced nuclear power industry
in the energy capital of the world.
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In a letter to DOE Secretary Granholm, Reps. Guthrie
(R-KY) and Obernolte (R-CA) recognize the importance of increasing
power demand and grid reliability as it relates to American energy
dominance.
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ClimeFi and XPRIZE launched the
Global
1000 CDR challenge, calling the world’s largest 1,000 public corporations to enter
into new purchase agreements for at least 1,000 metric tons of
permanent carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in 2025.
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Sens. Bennet (D-CO) and Murkowski
(R-AK) introduced
a bill to support
a wide range of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solutions.
- Under Secretary of State for Arms
Control and International Security Jenkins announced $30
million in new funding along with an
agreement to develop SMRs for industrial decarbonization projects in
Ukraine.
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That's all from us. Thanks for reading and have a great
weekend!
View this Rundown online
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