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1. The next energy industry game-changer

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Now that the Senate has passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill — what’s next?

• Obviously House action, but policymakers should focus next on policies that bring the cutting-edge clean technologies from the infrastructure bill to scale.

Enter the bipartisan, bicameral Energy Sector Innovation Credit, or ESIC for short.

What’s clear: This novel proposal led by Sens. Crapo (R-ID) and Whitehouse (D-RI) and Reps. Reed (R-NY) and Panetta (D-CA) is different from energy tax incentives of yesterday, tailored to bring new technologies to commercialization.

Plug in: Our Managing Director of Policy Jeremy Harrell and Quill Robinson, VP of Government Affairs for the American Conservation Coalition, explain how ESIC could be one of the most important climate policies ever in The Hill.
 

2. A BIB win for clean energy innovation  

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A bipartisan group of Senators — including 19 Republicans — voted to pass the infrastructure bill this week — which includes monumental clean energy provisions and authorizations.

• The big ones: Eagle-eyed investments in advanced nuclear, clean hydrogen, carbon capture, enhanced geothermal, and grid-scale storage.

Rich’s take: “All of these provisions support moonshot research, development & demonstrations to be done in close partnership with private sector innovators including:

• breakthrough carbon capture demonstrations;
• the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program; and
• a wide variety of other clean energy innovation programs.”

What’s clear: The bipartisan infrastructure bill will create a cleaner environment that is good for the economy and done the right way: with more innovation, not burdensome regulation or taxation.
 

3. How conservatives plan to tackle the climate challenge

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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group 1 report came out this week and was focused on physical science. The working group 3 report, which will include clean energy technology recommendations, will be released next year.

See what some of the conservatives are saying:

• Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, told the Washington Examiner the U.S. “must remain the world’s leader of developing innovative technologies to address a changing climate.”
• Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA), the ranking Republican on the House Select Committee on Climate said, “American resources and American innovation that lower costs while reducing emissions are the only way to address this global issue.”
• Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), the leader of the new House Conservative Climate Caucus, said the existing Republican formula of developing and exporting U.S. clean energy technologies by supporting private-sector innovation is the key to success.

4. ICYMI 

• X-energy is expanding its fuel division into a subsidiary called TRISO-X, which will bring X-energy’s advanced nuclear fuel to market. In addition to their Xe-100 reactor, the fuel is also compatible with several other advanced reactor designs under development.
• The need for permitting reform and making it easier to build in America is essential.
  • Plug in with this column in The New York Times.
• We released a new report analyzing the future of the U.S. power sector and the role of utility decarbonization commitments.