Today, the Senate began consideration of the American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA), comprehensive energy legislation that has been in development by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for the last several months. The Committee also posted on its website a high-level summary and a section-by-section summary of the bill. The bill includes provisions from the 52 energy-related bills that have been passed out of the Committee during the 116th Congress, including the EFFECT Act (S. 1201) and the LEADING Act (S. 1685).
CURC submitted a letter in support of the bill to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Joe Manchin. The letter can be viewed here and below:
"Dear Chairwoman Murkowski and Ranking Member Manchin:
The Carbon Utilization Research Council (CURC) is pleased to support the American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA). Subtitle D of the legislation incorporates the Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology (EFFECT) Act (S. 1201), legislation you co-introduced in 2019 that would provide an important update to the Fossil Energy Research and Development (FER&D) Program at the Department of Energy. The AEIA would modernize the program to confront the unique challenge we face to address the effects of climate change while ensuring access to affordable, reliable electricity, and CURC applauds your leadership in developing and introducing the legislation in a bipartisan fashion
The AEIA 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, including Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies. This kind of comprehensive federal support is critical to ensure that technologies are able to move from the basic research phase through to commercialization. CURC also appreciates the incorporation of provisions included in the Launching Energy Advancement and Development through Innovations for Natural Gas (LEADING) Act (S. 1685) that would authorize five commercial carbon capture demonstration projects within five years, with at least two projects on both coal and natural gas electric generation facilities.
The United States must be a leader in developing a broad suite of energy technologies that have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also unlocking economic benefits for the U.S. The AEIA is a critical piece of legislation that, if enacted, will satisfy the global need for affordable energy, improve U.S. energy security, increase exports of U.S. resources and manufactured energy equipment, create high-paying jobs, and improve environmental quality. CURC is thrilled to support this legislation and we look forward to seeing it signed into law during this Congress.
Sincerely,
Shannon Angielski
Executive Director, CURC"