For the last several years, the United States has undertaken a deliberate and focused policy effort to advance decarbonization. While the nature of the focus shifts from industrial emissions to the power sector, the overall objective of commercial deployment of CCUS is inherent in the federal approach. In 2019, the US National Petroleum Council (NPC) published an integrated CCUS study which provided robust recommendations for policy, regulatory, legal, and social considerations to address the “Dual Challenge” of balancing energy demands with environmental considerations. 

Those recommendations combined with shifting national objectives has resulted in congressional and executive support combined with increased corporate interest in decarbonization. Many of these policies are now part of the national landscape for CCUS. In fact, an unprecedented financial investment is being made through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 45Q tax credit and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Regulatory policies are under consideration for permitting reform and two White House Council of Environmental Quality Taskforces have been established: for non-federal lands and for federal lands/outer continental shelf through the USE IT Act. 

Social policies are driving equity and environmental justice adjustments through President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 establishing the Justice40 initiative, which seeks to ensure that 40 percent of federal funding in certain areas goes to benefits in disadvantaged communities. This keynote will examine the underlying factors, intricacies, efficacy, and recent advancements in CCUS connected with this robust policy environment.