CURC applauds Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Steve Daines (R-MT) on the introduction of the Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology (EFFECT) Act of 2019 (S. 1201).
CURC believes that a “moonshot” initiative is required for carbon capture technology, and the EFFECT Act would be an important step in service of that mission. The program outlined in the legislation aligns with the recommendations made in the 2018 CURC-EPRI Advanced Fossil Energy Technology Roadmap by making substantial investments in RD&D for carbon capture and storage technologies and authorizing funding for large-scale pilot and commercial demonstration projects. This kind of comprehensive federal support is critical to ensure that technologies are able to move from the basic research phase through to commercialization.
Click here to view bill text and here to view a one-page summary of the legislation.
CURC issued the following press release in support of the legislation:
"The Carbon Utilization Research Council (CURC) commends Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Steve Daines (R-MT) on the introduction of the Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology (EFFECT) Act of 2019 (S. 1201). The legislation will position the United States as the leading developer and exporter of carbon capture and storage technologies while further enabling access to affordable, reliable, and environmentally responsible electricity.
'To understand the value of innovative fossil-fuel technologies, we need only to look to the future. Coal and natural gas will provide 56 percent of the total U.S. net electricity generation by 2040, demonstrating the importance of an all of the above portfolio,' stated Shannon Angielski, Executive Director of the Carbon Utilization Research Council. 'The EFFECT Act embraces this reality while providing a clear pathway through strong public-private partnerships that will foster the development and commercialization of carbon capture technologies.'
The EFFECT Act authorizes a comprehensive research, development, and demonstration program for several technologies resulting in the deployment of fossil fuel generating technologies that will be cost competitive with other forms of low carbon generation. The bill is consistent with the recommendations of the 2018 CURC-EPRI Advanced Fossil Energy Technology Roadmap, containing robust authorizations for large-scale pilot and commercial demonstration projects and front-end engineering and design studies – all three of which are critical to advance technologies through to commercialization.
The bill would also support R&D for carbon utilization and carbon removal, and would direct the Department of Energy to study the viability of long-term stabilization support contracts – an effort CURC believes would be extremely valuable in demonstrating and financing commercial scale carbon capture projects. Each of these provisions will open up new and valuable technology pathways for the long-term use of our nation’s abundant fossil energy resources.
Following on last year’s effort through the enactment of the FUTURE Act to reform the Section 45Q tax credits, this is the latest in a series of Senate bills introduced in the 116th Congress to incentivize investment in carbon capture technologies, including the Carbon Capture Modernization Act (S. 407) and the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act (S.383)."