1. Clean steel in 3 minutes
At ClearPath, reducing power-sector emissions has been our primary focus, but we added the industrial sector to our portfolio earlier this year — going from tackling a quarter of U.S. carbon emissions to half. This video shows innovative ways to decarbonize steel production!
What’s clear: Several American companies are already working to decarbonize the steel manufacturing process through innovation. Supporting them with good policy, such as the following, will have huge impacts.
- The SUPER Act focuses more R&D on breakthrough iron and steel technologies, production, and public-private partnerships to scale-up and commercialize low-emissions technologies.
- Expanding section 45Q would allow steel manufacturers that capture carbon from their operations to claim an incentive to permanently store or repurpose the CO2.
- 48C, the Advanced Manufacturing tax credit, would incentivize manufacturers to expand or build new facilities that make clean technologies like carbon capture equipment.
Plug in: Globally, steel accounts for about 8 percent of emissions. Here in the U.S., metals emissions account for 2 percent — 81 percent of that is from iron and steel.
Go deeper.
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2. Eyes on COP26
Members of the ClearPath team will be attending COP26 in Glasgow as part of a Republican Congressional Delegation trip organized by the Conservative Climate Foundation this week and next.
What’s clear: A first-of-a-kind Republican delegation will bring fresh perspective to the global summit, which has been dominated by left-of-center policymakers and influencers in recent years that have oversimplified climate policy into false choices such as:
- Renewables versus fossils...
- Economy versus environment...
- 100% reductions around the world versus inaction here at home
Those false choices cloud potential solutions. The reality is solutions must be technology-inclusive, economically viable, and politically sustainable.
Plug in: The Conservative Climate Foundation was founded jointly by ClearPath and the Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) Forum earlier this year.
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3. GOP Senators’ new clean energy, climate strategy
Republican Senators released an ambitious legislative framework to tackle the global (emphasis on global) climate challenge, utilizing more innovation of clean and reliable energy.
What’s clear: Policy should make the global clean energy transition cheaper and faster. Too often, climate policies are focused exclusively on reducing U.S. carbon emissions.
- We need more innovation, not more regulation or taxation.
- Much of the world is purchasing high-emitting Chinese technology, because they can’t yet afford the “green premium” required for most clean energy.
- Other areas, like Uganda, say that they are being forced to use more solar and wind which could lead to more poverty.
Plug in: GOP Sens. Dan Sullivan (AK) ... Kevin Cramer (ND) … and Cynthia Lummis (WY), unveiled their vision for an innovative clean energy and climate strategy for America, with the goal of reducing global emissions up to 40 percent from today’s levels by 2050 with U.S policy alone.
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4. Romania to build American SMR
Romania plans to build the NuScale Power small modular reactor (SMR), a big deal for the prospects of commercializing America’s advanced nuclear technology.
Plug in: The commercial partnership looks good for American technology and jobs including:
- 12-module NuScale plant
- Over 6,000 U.S. and Romanian jobs
- Potential to create 30,000 U.S. and Romanian jobs as the project grows.
This announcement builds off a March 2019 announcement between NuScale and Romania.
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5. ClearPath visits NCCC
(L to R) Matt Mailloux, Savita Bowman, Jena Lococo and Natalie Houghtalen of ClearPath’s policy team.
ClearPath team members visited the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville, AL, one of the world's top research facilities for CCUS technologies.
Plug in: The NCCC partners with researchers developing novel techniques to make carbon capture more efficient and economic. ClearPath is a member of the NCCC. The team also toured a nearby drill site where Southern Company is researching potential geological storage sites.
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6. Ashlee Muscolini joins ClearPath
Ashlee Muscolini joins the ClearPath team this week as Finance Associate. Ashlee comes from Goodwill of Greater Washington, where she managed the Strategic Management Accounting team.
Welcome, Ashlee!
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7. ICYMI
DOE announced semifinalists of the American-Made Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize a technology competition for lithium extraction from geothermal brines.
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