The United States will need to rapidly deploy carbon management in the near-term to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the power sector by 2035 and economy-wide by 2050, Department of Energy (DOE) officials contend. To those ends, the White House has directed agencies to implement carbon management policies responsibly so that they deliver clear benefits to communities and workers while providing robust environmental protections.
DOE is focusing on “implementing programmatic activities that lay the groundwork for scaling carbon management in the future in alignment with overarching policy goals.” The agency’s Carbon Management Strategy guide, released earlier this fall, provides a comprehensive roadmap for the remainder of the decade. Authors outline the diverse tools and approaches DOE will use to develop and deploy carbon management solutions in line with White House climate, economic, and social priorities.
Carbon management is a) an umbrella term that encompasses the suite of technologies used for capturing, transporting, converting, and storing carbon dioxide, as well as removing it directly from the atmosphere; and, b) a critical component of the DOE climate change mitigation strategy. Agency objectives through 2030 incorporate these components:
- Focusing research, development, demonstration, and deployment funding on priority use cases;
- Building out CO2 transportation and storage infrastructure where it will likely be needed the most;
- Supporting the implementation of effective and evidence-driven policies and regulations
- related to carbon management at other federal agencies;
- Engaging communities and workers to ensure projects deliver benefits and mitigate potential risks to public health and the environment; and,
- Supporting climate diplomacy efforts to accelerate the adoption of carbon management at scale globally in a way that aligns with the Paris Agreement.
DOE will begin evaluating Carbon Management Strategy feedback after the closing of a public comment period on the guide early this month.
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PCA ROADMAP TO CARBON NEUTRALITY @ 3
The Portland Cement Association tallied deliverables thus far upon the third anniversary of the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality by 2050 release. Since October 2021, U.S. cement producers have:
- Recorded carbon dioxide emissions avoidance exceeding 6 million metric tons;
- Booked their most energy-efficient year, 2023, as reflected in Btu/ton of output;
- Expedited migration to alternative and/or renewable fuels for clinker production, whereby more than three-quarters of PCA members have streamlined the use of coal as primary kiln fuel;
- Boosted the share of natural gas in clinker production to its highest level in more than four decades;
- Sharply increased output of lower-carbon cement; nearly 50 percent of 2023 shipments were of such profile versus 5 percent in 2021;
- Secured unanimous state department of transportation approval of portland limestone cement (Type IL), whose processing and composition equate to a CO2 emissions factor reduction up to 10 percent versus ordinary portland cement.
PCA also recognizes the U.S. Department of Energy’s $1.2 billion commitment to four member producers’ carbon capture, utilization and storage project pursuits, plus the Environmental Protection Agency’s support of individual cement plant environmental product declaration development. Entering Roadmap year four, the Association continues to seek an overhaul of the government permitting process, calling it “outdated, cumbersome, and preventing cement companies from moving expeditiously to implement innovative decarbonizing initiatives.”