SCALE Act

H.R. 1992 & S. 799


The Storing CO2 and Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act establishes programs to support the buildout of infrastructure needed to transport CO2 from where it is captured to where it can be utilized or securely sequestered underground. These critical infrastructure investments are an enabler to achieving large-scale carbon capture deployment and a net-zero emissions economy.


SUMMARY

Investing in CO2 transport and storage infrastructure today is necessary to enable large-scale deployment of carbon capture, removal, utilization, transport, and storage. The SCALE Act establishes key programs to plan and invest in this infrastructure and will provide much needed resources to build out new carbon dioxide infrastructure, develop CO2 storage hubs, and support emerging technologies.

HISTORY

A significant buildout of CO2 transport and infrastructure is needed for widespread carbon capture deployment. CO2 transport and storage infrastructure facilitates carbon capture deployment by enabling more CO2 capture by connecting storage locations and emitters, realizing economies of scale, and creating a carbon management market, which will lower risks for projects. This bill facilitates critical investments today that will remove obstacles to enable wide-scale decarbonization by mid-century and drive economic development and technological innovation.

SPECIFICS

The SCALE Act helps overcome the barriers to wide-scale carbon capture deployment with several new transport and storage infrastructure authorizations, including:
  • Carbon Utilization Program – Authorizes the Department of Energy to provide grants to states and local programs for procuring products that utilize captured carbon, such as chemicals, materials, and advanced fuels.
  • Infrastructure Engineering Support – Authorizes grants for Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies for carbon dioxide transport infrastructure projects, a critical early step to moving projects forward.
  • Carbon Dioxide Transportation Loan and Grant Program – Creates a new low-interest loan and grant program for carbon dioxide transport infrastructure, called the CO2 Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (CIFIA), which will lower the risk for private-sector investment. Priority will be given to projects that are large-capacity, enable geographic diversity, and are located near existing infrastructure corridors.
  • Secure Geologic Storage Infrastructure Development Program – Builds on the existing Department of Energy carbon sequestration program to provide cost share for deployment of commercial-scale saline geologic storage projects, with a focus placed on projects with larger storage capacities or those that will serve as carbon storage hubs.
  • Secure Geologic Storage Permitting – Authorizes increased funds to EPA for permitting Class VI wells, which are needed for secure geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, and provides grants for states to establish their own Class VI programs, allowing for more efficient permitting.

ORIGINAL SPONSORS

Rep. David B. McKinley (R-WV), Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)

COSPONSORS

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Rep. Alexander Mooney (R-WV), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN), Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Rep. Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ), Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Rep. James Himes (D-CT), Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Joe Machin (D-WV), Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM)

SUPPORT:

ClearPath Action, Carbon Capture Coalition, Third Way, National Wildlife Federation, Growth Energy, Carbon Engineering, Clear Air Task Force, Occidental, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, Utility Workers Union of America, Carbon Utilization Research Council, Calpine, GE Gas Power, United Steelworkers, North America’s Building Trades Unions, C2ES, Carbon 180, The Nature Conservancy, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization

CONGRESS.GOV LINK:

H.R. 1992
S. 799

PRINTABLE SUMMARY:

Printable summary of H.R. 1062
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