Happy Friday!

1. NEW blog: Make America’s largest clean energy investor more efficient

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is the single largest investor in first-of-a-kind technology, driving cutting-edge innovation and the deployment of next generation solutions. To remain efficient and maintain America’s competitive edge in clean energy innovation, DOE can improve and streamline how it issues funding awards.

ClearPath recommends the DOE:

• Promote technical merit rather than non-technical social policy.
• Simplify Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) and award negotiations to ensure American competitiveness and protect IP.
• Develop procedures to enable officials at the Under Secretary level to expedite decision-making to advance breakthrough technology.

Plug in: Check out more recommendations on our newest blog by Policy Fellow Lahra Walker and former Senior DOE official David Solan.

2. CCS can reduce ⅔ of industrial emissions

The University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy highlighted the need for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in industrial decarbonization. The article maps out a ’CCS ladder’ to visualize sector impact.

Main takeaways:

• CCS will drive a 95% projected emissions reduction for cement;
• Ammonia for fertilizers will rely heavily on CCS for emissions reduction; and
• CCS will remain a long-term solution for the refining and petrochemical industries.

What’s clear: Smart policies such as 45Q and 48C enable U.S. industrial producers to remain globally competitive and reduce emissions.
 

3. Moving away from Russian-controlled nuclear fuel

TerraPower has signed a term sheet with ASP Isotopes to expand global production of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which details:

• The construction of an enrichment facility in South Africa; and
• Fuel for TerraPower’s Natrium reactors, including the new build in Wyoming.

What’s clear: There is a global demand for new nuclear reactors and the fuel they require. However, today Russia’s the only commercial-scale source of HALEU and controls about half of global uranium enrichment and supplies.

In April, the Senate unanimously passed Sens. Risch’s (R-ID) and Barrasso’s (R-WY) bill to ban Russian uranium imports. The U.S. can work with allied nations to develop new capacity.

Plug in: Today, Russia supplies one-quarter of the low-enriched uranium powering America’s civilian nuclear reactors, which means that in 2022, roughly 1 in 20 U.S. households was powered by Russian-enriched nuclear fuel. Read ClearPath’s blog to learn how America can lead in uranium and nuclear fuel production.
 

4. Build your team with CCLP

ClearPath’s Conservative Climate Leadership Program (CCLP) consists of talented individuals looking to shape conservative clean energy policy solutions while gaining valuable experience in the heart of the legislative process.

A CCLP candidate:

• Aligns with conservative values;
• Has a passion for clean energy innovation; and,
• Will be vetted as top talent, ready to assist your office from day one.

Plug in: Looking to fill a role in your office? Reach out to CCLP Director Dana Faught (dana@clearpath.org) to find out more.
 

5. ICYMI

• ClearPath’s Senior Program Director of Power, Infrastructure and Minerals, Cheryl Lombard, spoke at CEBA’s VERGE conference about the Manchin & Barrasso Energy Permitting Reform Act (EPRA) and how to advance clean energy, transmission permitting reform to reduce emissions.
• Faith Smith, a former ClearPath policy team member who is now an Energy Policy and Regulatory Analyst at NREL, received the 2024 Geothermal Rising Award for Outstanding Research.
• Learn about how the World Bank could fund nuclear projects in this Financial Times article featuring ClearPath Advisory Board Member DJ Nordquist.
• Thermal storage innovator RedoxBlox raises $31 million to scale up its technology.
• Williams plans to invest in ION Clean Energy, a natural gas CCUS developer.
• Morgan Stanley has a new partnership with Climeworks to secure carbon removal credits.
• Check out this new comic book by the DOE geared toward young readers, helping them understand the science behind nuclear technology through adventure.