“We are urging Congress to act on legislation that advances progress on carbon removal technologies beyond direct air capture,” - Jan Spin, President of Americas

Achieving Net Zero by 2050 requires commitment, in political will and dollars. As BlueGreen Water Technologies President of Americas Jan Spin writes in the Portland Press Herald: we have to go all in. We need to accelerate the pace of renewable energy adoption, significantly reduce emissions, and aggressively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Making it happen will require significant investment, public-private partnerships, strong policy frameworks, and supportive legislation.

To that end, BlueGreen traveled to Washington, DC in February to urge members of Congress to take action.

Making the rounds on Capitol Hill, Spin and BlueGreen Vice President Mike Pelz met with legislative policy staff for Senators Bill Cassidy, Angus King, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Paul Tonko.

“We are urging Congress to act on legislation that advances progress on carbon removal technologies beyond direct air capture,” said Spin.

• The Carbon Removal and Emissions Storage Technology (CREST) Act expands research and development programs for carbon removal and storage to include methods that harness natural processes, such as algae cultivation and sinking, blue carbon management, direct ocean capture, reforestation, and enhanced geological mineralization. And here’s something you don’t see too often on Capitol Hill - this legislation is bipartisan.
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• Carbon Dioxide Removal Research and Development (CDR R&D) Act funds research, development, and demonstration of CO2 removal technologies over nine federal departments and agencies, focusing on natural processes such as carbon uptake in forests, ocean-based carbon removal, and soil carbon management.
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• Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act of 2024 requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to remove an increasing amount of carbon dioxide emissions using direct air capture or other technology-based removal solutions. It ensures high standards for monitoring, reporting, and verifying carbon removals and for robust public engagement and sets a declining per-ton price ceiling to incentivize cost reductions over time and give flexibility for DOE to invest in nascent technologies with high potential.

“We asked that emphasis on carbon removal via freshwater be included in all three pieces of legislation,” said Pelz. “Nature is our ally in the quest to limit temperature rise and slash emissions. We’re encouraged to see recognition of that by members of Congress.”

By 2030,  nature-based solutions can deliver emissions reductions and removals of at least 5 to 11 gigatons of CO2 equivalent per year, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“Freshwater ecosystems should not be left out,” said Spin. “BlueGreen is demonstrating the power of freshwater to deliver on carbon removal. Our Net Blue™ methodology quantifies how much carbon removal is possible through the remediation of harmful algal blooms.”

“We are pleased by the reception we received on Capitol Hill and look forward to working with members of Congress to help scale up a gigaton-capable carbon removal industry,” said Spin.

The Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are pumping unprecedented levels of funding into carbon capture, removal and storage. Let us build on that momentum by protecting, restoring, and sustaining natural carbon sinks and tapping the power of nature to get the job done!

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