Pennsylvania passes carbon capture bill in an important step for industrial decarbonization
HARRISBURG – Today, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed a groundbreaking carbon capture and storage (CCS) bill into law that will bolster the commonwealth’s efforts to decarbonize power and industrial sectors while ensuring safe and permanent storage of carbon dioxide (CO2).
“Pennsylvania is a longstanding energy leader, a legacy it is carrying forward into the clean energy transition. CCS technologies will need to play a role in decarbonizing the industrial and power sectors of the commonwealth’s energy economy, and this legislation allows carbon capture projects to move forward with key measures in place,” said John Carlson, Senior Northeast Regional Policy Manager at CATF Action. “We applaud Pennsylvania’s leadership with this law and anticipate it creating robust in-state economic activity and jobs for our union workers who already have the relevant skills to build these projects.”
The bill was introduced by Senator Gene Yaw (R) and strengthened by the leadership of Chairman Robert Matzie (D) and numerous stakeholders across the state. It enhances landowner rights and empowers the Department of Environmental Protection to require additional analysis for permitting decisions that may affect environmental justice communities. It also mandates seismic activity monitoring to ensure the safe and permanent geologic storage of CO2 and addresses long-term liability concerns by setting a default 50-year period for monitoring and accountability. This strong regulatory framework helps enable Governor Shapiro’s PRESS proposal to reform the Alternate Energy Portfolio Standards Act (AEPS) and incorporate a slew of low-carbon technologies.
“The passage of this bill marks a significant step forward in efforts to decarbonize the industrial sector, which is a major source of carbon pollution in Pennsylvania,” said Sam Bailey, Appalachian Regional Hubs Manager at Clean Air Task Force. “Carbon capture and storage is a cost-reasonable, commercially available solution and supports a range of other efforts to decarbonize the commonwealth’s economy, including the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2). Pennsylvania’s continued interest in the subsurface and further action on geologic characterization is key to enabling in-state capture and storage of carbon dioxide. We look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders to ensure all Pennsylvanians fully realize the benefits of the bill.”
CATF, alongside the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), Environmental Defense Fund, and The Nature Conservancy, sent a letter of support for the bill (SB 831) as amended by the House.
CATF also recently released a report to better understand CCS prospects in Pennsylvania. The analysis found that while CCS can achieve significant emissions reductions across sectors and there are opportunities for geologic storage, more characterization efforts, such as drilling new test wells, are needed.
Press Contact
Samantha Sadowski, Communications Manager, U.S., ssadowski@catf.us, +1 202-440-1717
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
About CATF Action
CATF Action is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization and the counterpart of Clean Air Task Force. CATF Action works to advance U.S. political and advocacy objectives. Learn more at catfaction.org.
