Stefan Koester

The next Congress will have to wrestle with competing energy and climate innovation policy priorities. But despite their differences, the two parties will have potential opportunities for bipartisan collaboration.

A major challenge to getting clean energy projects built is not technology, financing, or cost uncertainty, but regulatory and permitting hurdles. To fully leverage the once-in-a-generation federal climate spending that this Congress has succeeded in passing, federal permitting must be reformed to make it less onerous, time intensive and costly.

Congressional passage of the legislation represents a tremendous step forward toward renewed U.S. industrial competitiveness, science and technology leadership, and greater levels of innovation to tackle pressing economic and social challenges—but it serves as merely the beginning, not the end of progress toward enacting a national competitiveness agenda.

The science of climate change has been clear for decades. The IPCC shows that it is increasingly clear that active carbon management technologies must be in the climate mitigation toolbox. With its wealth of know-how and innovative start-up economy, the United States is well-positioned to dominate this burgeoning global industry and will do so if the federal government has the vision to realize this potential.

Many popular blockchain technologies consume vast amounts of electricity today, producing millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions and electronic waste. While the environmental and energy concerns for digital assets should be addressed, heavy-handed regulatory policies that attempt to restrict how operators use data centers are likely to be unsuccessful.

Technologies to capture and store carbon must be part of the arsenal to fight climate change. To deploy them at scale, policymakers should expand federal incentives, increase RD&D for traditional and novel technologies, and expedite permitting and siting of requisite infrastructure.

The modeling is clear: Building a reliable grid that will serve as the backbone for a cleaner, more electrified economy without raising energy costs, will require technological improvements that drastically drive down the costs and improve performance.

U.S. industry does do not yet have all the necessary technology to decarbonize while maintaining its competitive edge in manufacturing. Only with continued federal and private investment in low-carbon RD&D will the United States be able to achieve the twin goals of supporting a robust manufacturing sector while reducing and ultimately eliminating emissions.

ITIF is pleased to submit the following comments to the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Managements request for information regarding the opportunity for carbon capture and direct air capture technologies.

Allies and partners like the United States, the EU, the United Kingdom, and Canada should avoid destabilizing trade frictions that threaten to derail much-needed climate progress and instead work toward a collaborative climate innovation club.

ITIF’s comments identify clean energy technologies that offer opportunities for U.S. exports, discuss challenges, and offer recommendations to overcome these challenges.

ITIF responds to the Department of Energy’s request for information on the establishment of a new clean energy manufacturing institute, supporting the establishment of a new institute focused on industrial decarbonization and electrification, and the decarbonization of metal manufacturing.

Stefan Koester presented to new House Democratic Caucus staff members on the importance of permitting reform in impacting clean energy policy and innovation.

Watch the discussion surrounding the potential climate tech applications of 5G and what is needed going forward to help ensure that this critical infrastructure can facilitate the low-carbon transition.

ITIF hosted a discussion on the current state of carbon tariffs, their challenges, and potential multilateral alternatives.