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• Heads up: We’re taking next week off, but The Rundown will be back in your inbox on July 16.

Let’s jump in.
 

1. House GOP preps for 2022 with climate task force
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Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA), ranking member of the House Climate Select Committee, will lead the new energy and climate task force, Leader McCarthy announced this week.

What’s clear: The group’s policy innovations should help Republicans win more voters in the midterms, and arm a potential GOP majority with a legislative roadmap ready for Day 1.

• The roster: Reps. Debbie Lesko (AZ) … Dan Crenshaw (TX) … John Curtis (UT) … Jeff Duncan (SC) … David McKinley (WV) … Dusty Johnson (SD) … Randy Feenstra (IA) … Blake Moore (UT) … Pete Stauber (MN) … Yvette Herrell (NM) … Brian Mast (FL) … Michael Burgess (TX) … Glenn Thompson (PA) … and Stephanie Bice (OK).

Rewind: Last month, 30% of the House GOP conference — 65 members — joined the newly established Conservative Climate Caucus to help educate colleagues.

• In April, House Republicans rolled out their Energy Innovation Agenda with a three-day virtual forum highlighting dozens of bills and solutions that McCarthy said will “deliver a cleaner, safer, and healthier environment while also growing our economy.”

2. Parties unite behind American R&D

The House voted overwhelmingly to pass the DOE Science for the Future Act Monday — an effort years in the making to boost investments in key U.S. research facilities and kickstart clean energy technologies.

What’s clear: America has long been the global leader in technology development, but our innovation engines — at DOE and in our National Labs — need more funding to stay ahead.

What it does: Beyond bolstering our premier science labs, the bill ensures new research centers get built on time and on budget.

• It also cracks down on research theft by foreign adversaries like China.

The ultimate goal is to “reduce emissions without hurting Americans’ wallets,” says Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), House Science & Tech ranking member.
 

3. DOE taps private sector to take new tech to market
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Corporate partners pledged more than $35 million to commercialize 68 promising new projects — from clean energy and advanced manufacturing to next-gen materials — matching $30 million from the DOE.

What’s clear: The awards will pull breakthroughs from DOE’s National Labs into the market, creating new jobs and sharpening America’s economic edge.

The awardees represent 12 DOE National Labs across the nation, with partners in 25 states and four countries.

• Oklo and Argonne National Laboratory will collaborate on cutting costs and waste for advanced reactors by converting used fuel into clean energy.
• Other recipients include Kairos Power, Westinghouse, Framatome, and EPRI who are all developing or supporting next generation nuclear technologies.

4. More advanced nuclear designs on the way

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A next-gen research and test reactor is coming to the University of Illinois through a partnership with its Urbana-Champaign campus (UIUC) and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp (USNC).

What’s clear: We’re on the verge of some big breakthroughs after over 75 years of iterating on nuclear reactors that already supply Americans with clean, reliable, and affordable energy.

• Zoom out: Multiple next-gen projects are underway across the country, like Oklo, X-energy, TerraPower, NuScale, and Kairos Power.

The new UIUC-USNC reactor will partially re-power the school’s fossil fuel plant to provide some heat and power to campus buildings.

• Refresh: To qualify as a research reactor with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, only some of the energy produced can be sold commercially.

The path ahead: permitting and licensing reform.
 

5. U.S. Steel to assess clean manufacturing advances

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Under an MOU with Equinor, the companies will study hydrogen production using carbon capture in the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia region.

What’s clear: Hydrogen-based steel processes and carbon capture are among the more promising advances ramping up right now. A successful test could lead to a “clean hydrogen hub” for the area.

• Regional hubs like this are key to scaling clean steel and will need to be built near steel facilities.

Plug in: As the steelmaking industry tests alternative steelmaking processes, investments in research, development, demonstration, and deployment are vital.
 

6. ICYMI

• Zero-emission geothermal energy is possible with hydraulic fracturing techniques, reports the Wall Street Journal. 
• The “Case for DAC” — a new Bipartisan Policy Center report offers a roadmap to commercialize direct air capture technology.
• Steelmakers are eyeing carbon capture technology as the industrial decarbonization trend catches on. are emerging to go along with the increased ambition.
• Mix and match: The Nuclear Innovation Institute launched a study on how nuclear power can integrate with a growing hydrogen economy.

7. Coming down the pipeline

July 8 — CRES Forum hosts "How Conservatives are Planning to Tackle Climate Change,” a discussion of opportunities and policies to reduce emissions, featuring our Executive Director, Rich Powell.