
I had the pleasure of spending a few days here in Washington DC, talking to policy makers in Congress, think tanks, and entrepreneurs. My three key takeaways:
1️⃣ This Congress will focus on implementation 🏗
With a divided Congress, we won´t see any major policy changes in the next two years. #IRA is here to stay. Instead, the focus will be on how to spend the massive amounts of money allocated through the IRA. For CDR specifically, focus will be on the nuances of existing policy proposals and incremental wins. For example: will #45Q tax credits go beyond CCS/DAC? Will DAC Hubs remain tech agnostic as the DoE originally recommended?
2️⃣ CDR needs to fly below the radar 🛬
In a country where many things become a politicised partisan issue (think renewables..), CDR is still largely enjoying bipartisan support. This is to be treasured. The mantra is to get as far as we can while keeping a low profile as an industry for as long as we can.
3️⃣ Biochar has a reputation problem 🤔
#Biochar - arguably the most scalable durable CDR technology we have today - is at best unknown or usually simply badly received. Reasons: first, #pyrolysis triggers memories of greenwashing of the plastic recycling industry. Second, the production of biofuels from #biomass sparked massive controversies on the left. All to say: biochar needs a rebrand (#BiCRS ?) to move away from these misconceptions.
While the EU will focus on pushing forward regulation and certification of CDR (e.g. #CRC), the US is going to see billions invested into CDR in the next few years. Let´s make sure these funds end up in the most impactful projects.
At carbonfuture we look forward to working with all the incredible partners that have been advocating for CDR here in the US: from the trail blazers in Congress like Congressman Scott Peters, Senator Tina White, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congresswoman Diana DeGette, to CDR champions like Carbon180, Clean Air Task Force, and Carbon Business Council to name a few.
Thank you to Pete Wyckoff, Sindhu Nathan, Kara Allen, Stephanie Mack, PhD, and Manik Roy for your time and valuable insights. And a big shout out to Londyn and her wonderful team at Carbon180 for facilitating all these exchanges over the last days 🙏
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