carbon capture research legislation under review in house of representatives

Legislation that could result in the construction of any number of sequestration facilities and carbon dioxide pipelines across the country is moving through Congress.

The Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies Act, otherwise known as USE-IT, was introduced earlier this year by a bipartisan group of Senators and is designed to support carbon utilization and direct air capture research.

In so doing, according to the legislation’s proponents, the bill would also provide funding for the development and building of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration research centers.

As proposed, the bill would provide up to $85 million in funding for direct air capture technology research, as well as research on how to use carbon dioxide for commercial products.

The legislation, which has been approved in the Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, promotes “carbon capture technologies that take carbon out of the air and find productive uses for it,” said Wyoming Senator John Barrasso in a statement.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Barrasso added that such “promising technologies could result in significant emissions reductions.”

The legislation is currently being studied by members of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.

By Garry Boulard

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