Clean Air Task Force

2024 is a major election year in many parts of the world, with potential for change at nearly every level of government. As political processes unfold, durable climate policy, commercial progress, and pragmatic solutions are more important than ever. That’s why CATF is leveraging the momentum from recent climate legislation and regulations and continuing to push for more – always with an eye toward cutting air pollution and increasing the number of tools in our climate toolbox.   https://lnkd.in/eMSzsA2C

This legislative session, #Louisiana made big changes in energy policy – ranging from carbon capture and storage and clean hydrogen to increased air monitoring requirements. CATF's Senior Gulf Coast Regional Policy Manager, Lindsay Cooper, provides the highlights on the energy-related bills passed out of the Louisiana State Legislature, and what they mean for the state. https://lnkd.in/dZHZPt28

“Clean hydrogen faces ‘limited prospects’ in its ability to decarbonize the grid and could exacerbate the struggle to meet growing power demand.” Financial Times Energy Source newsletter covers CATF’s latest report analyzing the potential use of clean hydrogen in the power sector. The report digs into critical feasibility questions around producing and using clean hydrogen for electricity generation, and finds that using clean hydrogen in power plants is likely a costly and inefficient decarbonization strategy. https://lnkd.in/grTRdnJK 

Superhot rock #geothermal energy has the potential to meet long-term demands for zero-carbon, always-on power – but a number of technical hurdles stand in the way of development, deployment, and commercialization of this revolutionary energy source. That’s why CATF convened leaders from across the geothermal innovation space for a workshop at the Iceland Geothermal Conference to uncover gaps in five critical technology areas. In partnership with Geothermal Research Cluster - GEORG the workshop dove into the details of reports outlining relevant technical advancements and remaining challenges. The reports and discussion at the workshop will be invaluable in informing public and private funding for future research, development, testing, and demonstration for superhot rock energy. https://lnkd.in/gpBmc7wc

The D.C. Circuit has denied requests from state and industry to delay the implementation of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s new and existing oil and gas methane rules. These rules will provide important protections for communities against harmful methane and smog-forming volatile organic compound pollution, and yesterday's order means there won't be any delay in implementing those rules. Our statement: https://lnkd.in/gNfvGF-j

The 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit could shape the future of the hydrogen industry - but how this incentive counts greenhouse gas emissions matters. CATF and Environmental Defense Fund explore how #45V can reflect methane emissions and incentivize continued mitigation in a new blog. These 5 principles should guide decisions on methane accounting for 45V #hydrogen eligibility: 1️⃣ Methane emissions vary substantially across companies and geographies, with leakage rates ranging from <1% to >4%. Using a single national average is a one-size-fits-none approach, as it obscures this variability and is both under- and over-inclusive of real-world upstream emissions.  2️⃣ Moving to more granular methane estimates can be an important way to incentivize investments in methane emission reductions. A single national average is problematic for 45V because it does not encourage upstream methane providers to reduce their leak rates. 3️⃣ Cherry-picking should not be allowed if producer-specific rates are used. Allowing a hydrogen producer to choose between submitting their own number or a fixed national average would offer a carrot for outperformers while rewarding underperformance.    4️⃣ Estimates should be accurate, verified and overseen by a central government body. Current verification systems are not adequate, but a robust measurement, reporting and verification mechanism can  be established as part of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. 5️⃣ Measured (observed) data needs to be more accurate. Using measurement-based leak rates is the most accurate way of accounting for upstream methane emissions. Ground-based measurements, aircraft measurements, or satellite data, should incorporated into future methane figures. CATF and Environmental Defense Fund believe that upholding these 5 principles is critical to ensuring 45V incentivizes truly clean hydrogen and meets the #IRA's climate objectives. It may ultimately determine how climate beneficial hydrogen deployment in the U.S. will be.  Read the joint blog here: https://lnkd.in/emRYPKiy

Setting high standards for carbon credits is crucial for making voluntary carbon markets consistent, reliable, and effective. In new comments to USDA, CATF emphasizes the importance of carefully evaluating and listing only high-quality protocols to drive down emissions. https://lnkd.in/e_YbvqRJ 

Burning clean #hydrogen in power plants is technically feasible – but highly inefficient. CATF’s new report explores dedicated clean hydrogen production and use in the power sector, finding it to be a costly and inefficient in many cases. Ultimately, the analysis further clarifies that clean hydrogen use should be prioritized to decarbonizing heavy transportation and industry, rather than electricity generation. Key recommendations for approaching power sector decarbonization include: ✅ Evaluating the decarbonization impact on total system costs and utility tariffs for customers.  ✅ Examining the merits and costs of using hydrogen for long-duration energy storage in the context of a largely decarbonized grid, and evaluating alternative strategies like geothermal, nuclear energy, and carbon capture. Explore the key findings of the report here: https://lnkd.in/eeXZWgva 

Deploying carbon capture and storage (#CCS) projects will be essential if #Poland is to meet its climate targets and secure the competitiveness of its industrial sectors. But how will these projects be funded? CATF’s upcoming webinar will explore the funding gap for carbon capture and storage projects in Poland and discuss the need for increased efforts to build business models for projects that access EU funding and combine with national funding to get projects built in the country. Join CATF’s Codie Rossi and Tamara Lagurashvili along with Aleksander Sniegocki, Instytut Reform; Agnieszka Baran, ORLEN S.A.; Dr. Daniel Kitscha, European Commission; Paweł Gładysz, AGH University of Krakow; and Szymon Byliński, Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska on 18 July.

France and Austria have released ambitious carbon management strategies to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. 🇫🇷🇦🇹 The Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage strategy for #France includes a roadmap for reducing carbon emissions by capturing and storing CO2 from industrial sources, and includes an initial ambition to capture 4 - 8 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030. Austria’s carbon management strategy identifies residual emissions that must be tackled and recommends lifting the prohibition on geological CO2 storage in #Austria and incentivising research and development activities. Find out more about the strategies here: https://lnkd.in/erB78CET #CCS #CCUS #carbonmanagement