About CURC

OUR MISSION

The Carbon Utilization Research Council (CURC) is an industry coalition focused on technology solutions for the responsible use of our fossil energy resources.  The strength of our coalition derives from the breadth of our membership, which includes power generators that rely upon diverse sources for their electricity production - including natural gas and coal - equipment manufacturers, technology innovators, national associations that represent the power generating industry, labor unions, fossil fuel producers, non-governmental entities, and state, university and technology research organizations. 

Collaborative Technology Assessment.  Technical experts working on behalf of the CURC membership collaborate to develop the CURC-EPRI Advanced Fossil Energy Technology Roadmap, which defines the research needs to commercialize a broad suite of low carbon fossil energy technologies. The Roadmap recommendations reflect the consensus findings of the CURC membership, and are used to educate policymakers on program direction and budget needs to achieve the Roadmap goals.

Impactful Policy Design.  The recommendations of the Roadmap serve as the basis for CURC's policy recommendations to Congress, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ensuring that federal policies can be applied in real world applications for the entities that innovate and use new technologies.  CURC also works with interested stakeholders, labor groups, NGOs, and environmental groups to advance federal policies that will enable the use of fossil fuels in a carbon constrained world.Members of CURC are at the forefront of their industries in the development, demonstration, and commercialization of technologies that are transforming how the world uses fossil fuels.  Continued success will require a robust and sustained set of policies to incentivize the development and deployment of low and zero-carbon fossil energy technologies.  This is why CURC's members team to evaluate technology development needs, outline research and development programs to create technology choices, and design federal policies that achieve results. 

Delivering Results with Fact-Based Advocacy. CURC has built a positive and non-partisan reputation before the U.S. Congress and throughout the Executive Branch as an organization that can be relied upon for useful, fact-based technology information and policy ideas.  CURC's expertise is sought by Members of Congress through testimony and Congressional hearings, and several CURC policy recommendations have been incorporated in enacted legislation and federal research programs, including:

• Reforms to the Section 45Q tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration, which has encouraged significant interest and investments in both commercial projects and technology development
• Federal funding for Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies for carbon capture and storage projects which has resulted in nine projects receiving federal funding to undertake FEED studies in power sector applications, which is the first step needed to launch commercial projects
• Federal funding for large-scale carbon capture pilot projects, for which $130 million has been appropriated since the program was adopted in 2017.  Currently, six projects are developing conceptual designs to construct and oeprate their innovations.