Sinema’s bipartisan bill aims to protect clean air through comprehensive research and development programs
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) supporting the development of innovative technologies that ensure cleaner air and a healthier environment.
“Our bipartisan bill boosts innovative technologies to keep our air clean, and protect Arizonans’ health, and grow our economy,” said Sinema.
“Carbon removal technologies have significant promise and could someday present an opportunity to substantially reduce net levels of global greenhouse gas emissions,” said Murkowski. “Our bipartisan CREATE Act will help ensure coordinated leadership across federal agencies as we pursue the development of innovative technologies that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the oceans.”
“The science from the world’s top experts, including our own National Academies, shows that carbon removal from the oceans, atmosphere, and land will likely be needed to meet our climate goals,” said Whitehouse. “Our bipartisan bill would bring scientists from across the federal government together to develop negative emissions technologies and curb climate change.”
“Working in a bipartisan fashion, I have been a champion of policies supporting carbon capture, utilization, and storage, including through direct air capture technologies and afforestation to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Increasingly more attention is being paid to this space by industry and nongovernmental organizations as the only way to meet carbon dioxide reduction targets while maintaining jobs and growing our economy. The Carbon Removal Coordination Act will inform the federal response and budgetary process by focusing government experts’ efforts supporting carbon removal through direct air capture, afforestation, better soil management, and other approaches. A robust federal policy addressing carbon reduction from the atmosphere will be a win-win for the environment and our economic growth,” said Capito.
Research shows that Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) can play a significant role addressing excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since CDR is early in its development, robust use of CDR calls for a new comprehensive federal research, development and demonstration program. Sinema’s bipartisan CREATE Act develops a comprehensive federal initiative for CDR by:
- Creating within the National Science and Technology Council, a new Large-Scale Carbon Management program that will be co-chaired by the Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and officials from the Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Establishing four working groups within the Large-Scale Carbon Management program to pursue a technological and detailed CDR research and demonstration initiative across several federal agencies. The working groups will coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget to enhance existing research programs as well establishing new ones to deliver commercial-ready CDR innovations within a decade.
- Require that the working groups focus on carbon removal in the oceans, atmosphere, and land using both natural and technological approaches.