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:

• Enhancements, including credit increases and “direct pay”, to the Section 45Q tax credit that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act.
• Previous reforms to the Section 45Q tax credit.
• $12 billion in new funding for the deployment of CCUS technologies through the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
• 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 operate their innovations.

CURC Activities

CURC engages with policymakers to ensure that the United States pursues advanced fossil energy technologies that support the long-term, environmentally responsible use of our fossil energy resources. CURC is a source of nonpartisan, technology-based information to Congress and the Executive branch. CURC structures and participates in several annual activities designed to equip key policymakers and CURC members with information on the development and application of advanced fossil energy technologies.

Federal Funding for Research, Development, and Deployment

Each year during the federal appropriations process, CURC submits recommendations to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Congress that are keyed off the CURC-EPRI Roadmap to inform the decisions of federal policymakers as they recommend new programs and as Congress appropriates funds and provides oversight to the coal RD&D efforts at DOE. Over the years, several Roadmap priorities have been funded by Congress and continue to be supported by DOE.

Federal Advocacy

CURC, through its member companies, has been the principal actor in the design and development of several federal programs to advance fossil fuel technology development and deployment.

Since its inception in 1998, CURC has successfully developed or supported key federal programs, helping to make significant federal incentives available through these programs in the form of grants, tax incentives and loan guarantees.

For advanced fossil energy technology development and deployment to succeed, there is a need for a regulatory environment that encourages the use and deployment of technology. As appropriate, CURC engages in the development of federal rule-making by providing technical information and assessments on both the feasibility and availability of technology in meeting proposed regulatory programs, as well as on the impact of rules on technology deployment. CURC has been engaged with federal policymakers in proposed rule-making to limit carbon emissions from fossil fueled power plants.

Membership Meetings

Every year, CURC hosts two to three General Membership Meetings to discuss the status of CURC activities and how CURC should position itself with respect to technology development programs and activities. Representatives from nearly all of our member companies attend these meetings, which are chaired by the CURC Executive Leadership Team. These meetings provide attendees with a forum to exchange views as well as provide various perspectives about the way that technology might be utilized to meet our Nation’s energy and environmental needs. They also provide a venue for CURC to conduct official business and outline strategies and activities for proposed CURC initiatives.

Every Spring, CURC hosts a two day workshop with the Department of Energy and National Energy Technology Laboratory program managers and selected members of CURC to discuss in detail the DOE coal RD&D programs. Members of the CURC Technical Subcommittee participate in these workshops in order to gain a sense of how the DOE programs align with technology development goals identified in the CURC-EPRI Roadmap and to discuss how industry and DOE can further mutual technology development goals.

CURC also holds monthly Government Affairs Subcommittee meetings virtually to discuss the status of CURC initiatives with Congress and the Administration. These meetings provide a forum to discuss legislative developments and to coordinate our advocacy resources on issues important to our collective membership.

Finally, CURC holds an annual Capitol Hill Day where all members are invited and encouraged to fly into Washington, D.C., for a day of meetings with Members of Congress and/or their staff to in an effort to educate Congress about CURC’s advocacy programs.