Direct Air Capture Hubs Funding Announced: Statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2022
Direct Air Capture Hubs Funding Announced: Carbon Business Council Statement on the Benefits of Spurring Innovation
The Energy Department has released a funding opportunity announcement for Direct Air Capture Hubs, as part of a $3.5 billion federal initiative funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Carbon Business Council, a nonprofit trade association of more than 75 companies committed to the economic and responsible growth of the carbon management industry, has issued the following statement in response. The statement can be attributed to Ben Rubin, Executive Director:
“The Carbon Business Council is grateful to the Energy Department and policy makers for making Direct Air Capture Hubs a reality. Recognizing the importance of community engagement, we thank the Energy Department for including Community Benefit Plans as part of the funding opportunity announcement. The Carbon Business Council applauds the Energy Department for allowing a diversity of carbon removal approaches in the announcement, such as biochar, biomass burial, direct ocean capture, soil carbon sequestration, and afforestation/reforestation. Doing so helps to spur innovation across the carbon management ecosystem. While these approaches to carbon removal may be included as part of Direct Air Capture Hubs, they are not eligible for federal funding or allowable cost share in this particular funding notice. As we celebrate this monumental moment for Direct Air Capture Hubs, we also recognize that there are multiple pathways to remove and manage carbon dioxide. We look forward to seeing Direct Air Capture Hubs break ground and to upcoming opportunities that incentivize a diversity of approaches for reaching gigaton-scale carbon management.”
The Energy Department’s notice of intent in May included multiple mechanisms for the direct capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The notice of intent included 1) chemical direct air capture technologies, 2) biomass carbon removal and storage, 3) ocean-based carbon removal, and 4) enhanced mineralization. The funding opportunity announcement allows for multiple carbon removal approaches as part of DAC Hubs, but they are not eligible for federal funding in this funding notice. There are multiple approaches to safely remove, store, utilize, and/or manage carbon dioxide. The federal government is advancing many pathways to scale carbon removal and Energy Department initiatives like the Carbon Negative Shot take a tech neutral approach.
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Carbon Business Council (CO2BC), a member-driven and tech-neutral trade association of companies unified to restore the climate, is the preeminent industry voice for carbon management innovators. Together, the nonprofit coalition represents more than 75 companies across six continents with more than $1.5 billion dollars in combined assets.