The Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology Act would authorize four critical research and development programs at the Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, Ranking Member on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology (EFFECT) Act. The legislation would direct the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy to establish four new research and development (R&D) programs focused on coal and natural gas technology, carbon storage, carbon utilization, and carbon removal.  

“The energy experts who have come before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources have been clear – fossil fuels are projected to be part of the generation mix through 2040, and likely beyond, and the United States needs to lead in technological innovations designed to reduce carbon emissions. This is a critical piece of the solution addressing the climate crisis and, as Dr. Fatih Birol of the International Energy Agency said at a recent hearing – carbon capture, utilization, and storage may be the most critical technology that we can invest in.  Focusing the Department of Energy on getting these technologies to commercialization will benefit the environment while allowing us to maintain affordable and reliable electricity domestically, and U.S. leadership globally,” Senator Manchin said.

“Carbon capture offers great potential to reduce emissions and will complement other clean technologies like advanced nuclear and renewable energy,” Senator Murkowski said. “This Act will utilize the considerable resources of the Department of Energy and its National Labs to address the scientific challenges in capturing carbon, creatively using it, and permanently sequestering it. Through research, development, pilot demonstrations, and commercial deployment, it will help accelerate innovation to lower emissions and extract economic value out of carbon dioxide.” 

“Making the most of our coal and natural gas resources; promoting carbon capture, utilization, and storage; and further exploring carbon removal are all critical parts of an all-of-the-above energy strategy. Not only do these efforts help maximize West Virginia’s—and our entire country’s—energy potential, but they also help address environmental concerns and encourage economic growth,” Senator Capito said. “This bipartisan legislation will help us continue to understand and make gains in all of these areas, building an even better energy future for our country.”

“The EFFECT Act would help bring carbon capture and utilization technologies to bear,” said Senator Cramer. “In promoting an all-the-above energy approach, the United States must tap into its fossil fuel resources in the most clean, efficient manner possible. This bipartisan legislation brings us one step closer to that goal.”

“The United States is a leader in high-paying energy jobs, innovation, and reduction of carbon emissions. The bipartisan EFFECT Act will propel American innovation by pushing Carbon Capture Technology to the next stage of commercialization, lowering prices, and protecting high-paying coal jobs,” said Senator Daines. 

“CURC applauds Senator Manchin for his leadership to undertake a ‘moonshot’ initiative for carbon capture, which must be part of the suite of technology solutions that will be needed to address the use of fossil fuels both in the U.S. and globally,” states Shannon Angielski, Executive Director of the Carbon Utilization Research Council (CURC). “The EFFECT Act will modernize our technology goals and objectives and drive the public-private partnerships that CURC members need in order to commercialize the technology and position the U.S. as a global leader in carbon capture.”

“The Clean Air Task Force supports Senators Manchin and Murkowski in their efforts to expand support for transformational carbon capture utilization and storage technologies in the proposed Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology Act. CATF supports the bill’s goal of creating four new programs to further develop transformational CCUS technologies for coal- and gas-fueled power and industrial sources, including research and development, large-scale pilot projects, demonstration projects, and front-end engineering and design.  Carbon capture and storage technologies have been in commercial use for decades, but only recently have they been used for the purpose of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Just as was the case with wind and solar technologies in the 1990s, learning by doing and transformational technology investment are the keys to further reducing the cost of CCS projects. Therefore, increased research, development and demonstration, focused on transformational technology, is an important compliment to the recently adopted 45Q tax credit, which will help drive learning and cost declines through additional deployment,” said Kurt Waltzer, Managing Director of the Clean Air Task Force.

“The Carbon Capture Coalition applauds the introduction of the Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology (EFFECT) Act to expand and retool the Department of Energy's fossil energy research, development and demonstration (RD&D) objectives and programs as vitally important legislation to help meet the challenge of reducing our nation’s carbon emissions and sustaining U.S. global leadership in carbon capture, utilization, storage and removal technologies. The Coalition commends Senators Manchin, Murkowski, Capito, Cramer and Daines for their bipartisan leadership in introducing this legislation.  We look forward to working with Congress to enact this urgently needed expansion of federal investment in carbon capture, utilization, storage and removal to bring down emissions, foster job creation and promote business opportunities in the management and beneficial use of carbon,”said Carbon Capture Coalition co-directors Jeff Bobeck and Brad Crabtree. 

“BPC Action applauds Senators Manchin (D-WV) and Murkowski (R-AK) for introducing the Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology Act (the EFFECT Act). As nations increasingly seek to decarbonize their economies, carbon removal and carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies are imperative to reduce carbon pollution,” said BPC Action Executive Director Michele Stockwell.  “We applaud the EFFECT Act for facilitating greater development and deployment of advanced carbon removal and carbon capture technologies to achieve our economic and environmental objectives.”

The EFFECT Act would expand the DOE’s fossil energy research and development (R&D) objectives and establish new R&D programs for carbon capture, utilization, storage, and removal, including:

• A Coal and Natural Gas Technology Program for the development of transformational technologies to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, costs, and environmental performance of coal and natural gas use. 
• A Carbon Storage Validation and Testing Program to conduct research, development and demonstration for carbon storage and establish a large-scale carbon sequestration demonstration program, with the possibility of transitioning to an integrated commercial storage complex. 
• A Carbon Utilization Program to identify and assess novel uses for carbon, carbon capture technologies for industrial systems, and alternative uses for coal. 
• A Carbon Removal Program for technologies and strategies to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide on a large scale, including an air capture technology prize competition.

For more information on the EFFECT Act click here and for full bill text click here. 

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