It was great to see a lot of you at the Congressional Baseball Game last night!

1. Task Force releases plan for American Innovation

  

The U.S. House Energy, Climate, and Conservation Task Force launched the fifth pillar of their six-part policy strategy: American Innovation.

The six pillars include:

• Unlock American Resources
• Beat China and Russia
• Let America Build
• Conservation with a Purpose
• American Innovation
• Build Resilient Communities

What’s clear Innovation is about making clean energy cheaper. If two technologies are the same price and one is cleaner, utilities and industries worldwide will buy the cleaner alternative. The market for clean energy is a trillion dollar (annual) opportunity.

ClearPath Action hosted a roundtable discussion with members of the Task Force and advanced nuclear stakeholders on the need for a domestic fuel supply chain, success in public-private partnerships, and modernizing permitting.
 

2. Congress passes CHIPS and Science

 

The CHIPS and Science Act passed the Senate 64 to 33 and the House 243 to 187, both with bipartisan votes. In addition to support of U.S. semiconductor chipmakers, the legislation includes several clean energy innovation provisions such as...

• SUPER Act: strengthens the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing by developing tech to reduce emissions from conventional steelmaking
• Fission for the Future Act: bolsters new nuclear construction by instructing the Secretary of Energy to develop a licensing and constructing program for advanced reactors
• DOE Science for the Future Act: supports federal research on clean energy technologies and authorizes an incremental budget increase for the Office of Science
• National Nuclear University Research Infrastructure Reinvestment Act of 2021: bolsters educational and research capabilities for nuclear and engineering programs

3. Tiny voids, lots of CO2 storage

  

In order to get captured CO2 back into the ground, all parts of the carbon management supply chain need to work together. One important aspect is access to pore space.

• The newest class of CO2 storage wells, Class VI, was developed for injection of CO2 into the porous space between the mineral grains of deep rock formations for long-term sequestration – this is known as pore space.

In order for CO2 to be permanently stored, three key elements must be present at the site:

• Porosity – tiny voids (pores) in the rock where CO2 can be stored;
• Permeability – connectedness of the pores; and
• Caprock – an impermeable rock layer overlaying the injection site that keeps sequestered CO2 from escaping.

What’s clear: One of the main regulatory challenges with carbon storage is access to federal pore space. While the bipartisan infrastructure law was an important step in furthering innovative carbon capture technologies, additional clarity is needed before federal pore space is ready to use.

Plug in: Our CCUS Policy Analyst Grant Cummings dives deeper into pore space issues.
 

4. America leads the world in natural gas exports

 

In response to global conflicts straining the energy market, European countries have been importing clean liquified natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. instead of from Russia.

• In fact, 64% of American LNG exports in the first 5 months of the year were to the UK and EU.
• A recent life cycle analysis conducted by the National Energy Technology Lab on U.S. LNG exports shows U.S. LNG can be up to 30% cleaner than Russian natural gas.

As a result, America has become the world’s largest exporter of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the first half of 2022 – an increase of 12% from the second half of 2021. Other factors affecting this growth include: 

• America’s increase in export capacity for LNG; and
• Global increases in LNG prices.

What’s clear: The U.S. is in a unique position to continue leading the world in energy. There is potential for innovative American technologies like advanced nuclear and hydrogen to follow a similar path toward international deployment.

Speaking of exports… The American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) highlighted a report by IFC International on the benefits of America’s crude oil for domestic use and global export.
 

5. NRC votes to modernize plant siting and advances nominees

 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted to revise guidance on siting for advanced nuclear plants, increasing the number of allowable sites able to deploy advanced reactors.

• The Commission approved a technology-inclusive approach, which is necessary to ensure that the dozens of U.S. advanced reactor designs under development have a predictable licensing timeline.

In other NRC news: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced NRC Commissioner nominees Annie Caputo and Bradley Crowell by voice vote.

• “It is important to have a full slate of qualified Commissioners that can continue to drive forward the NRC’s modernization efforts,” says Jeremy Harrell, ClearPath’s CSO. “Positive votes, such as the recent decision on updating the siting guidance for advanced reactors, are critical to support the deployment of U.S. technologies.”

6. ICYMI

• In anticipation of winter energy needs, Germany is rethinking its decision to shut down its last remaining nuclear plants.
• Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) spoke in favor of advancing CCS projects at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing.
• The Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative consisting of more than 40 stakeholders elevating nuclear-derived hydrogen as a clean, scalable energy source, launched this week.
• Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced a reconciliation package containing support for clean energy. 
• Our Senior Government Affairs Director Colleen Moss participated in a Republican Main Street Partnership panel on clean energy innovation and the Energy, Climate, and Conservation Task Force alongside Debbie Marshall of Chevron and Michael Haywood of Alpine Group.