Carbon capture and storage (CCS) could enable the United States to safely capture and store hundreds of millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) each year that otherwise would be released into the atmosphere. It’s one of the few proven technologies with the potential to significantly lower emissions from certain hard-to-decarbonize sectors, such as manufacturing and heavy industry. In fact, the International Energy Agency says it will be “virtually impossible” to reach societal net-zero emissions without CCS.

And, the benefits of CCS expand beyond the important goal of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere—the expansion of CCS could help enable the growth of tens of thousands of new jobs and protect thousands of existing ones, while potentially accelerating innovation in new technologies, like low-carbon Hydrogen, aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions.

But for CCS to be deployed broadly to help reduce U.S. emissions more quickly, some policy changes are needed. We propose:

• Creating a favorable investment environment for CCS activities;
• Providing financial support for infrastructure to allow for CO₂ to be captured, transported and safely sequestered;
• Ensuring government approval for CO₂ storage; and
• Collaborating between the public and private sectors.