US CO2 Transport and Storage Infrastructure

The document outlines the necessity of shared CO2 transport and storage 'hubs' to enable the decarbonization of emissions-intensive industries and the deployment of Direct Air Capture in the U.S. It identifies critical barriers—including high costs, a 'chicken-and-egg' challenge between capture and transport, and the need for future-proof capacity—and proposes the SCALE Act as a solution. The Act includes programs for cost-sharing storage hubs, increased EPA permitting funding, FEED grants, and low-interest loans via the CO2 Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (CIFIA). The text notes that while the U.S. has 5,000 miles of existing CO2 pipelines, it lacks the comprehensive federal policy support seen in Canada, the EU, Norway, the UK, and Australia.

• The SCALE Act proposes four primary policy pillars to drive CO2 infrastructure: the Secure Geologic Storage Infrastructure Development Program for commercial storage hubs, increased funding for EPA Class VI permitting (including grants for state programs), a DOE Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) grant program, and the CO2 Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (CIFIA) to provide low-interest loans and grants for shared transport infrastructure.
• Shared CO2 transport and storage 'hubs' are essential for scaling carbon capture because they allow CO2 to be moved from regions without suitable geology to those that have it, create economies of scale to lower unit costs, and reduce financing risk by connecting multiple buyers and sellers.
• The U.S. faces a 'chicken-and-egg' deployment barrier where capture projects cannot be committed without certain transport and storage infrastructure, yet infrastructure cannot be committed without guaranteed capture projects. Additionally, the Section 45Q tax credit is insufficient to fund the major new infrastructure required for individual projects.
• While the U.S. has 5,000 miles of CO2 pipelines, these were primarily for enhanced oil recovery, and only one commercial-scale dedicated CO2 storage site currently exists in the country. In contrast, other nations have implemented significant government funding for shared infrastructure, such as the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line in Canada, the Northern Lights project in Norway, and the UK's £1 billion CCS infrastructure fund.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). US CO2 Transport and Storage Infrastructure. https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CATF-SCALE-Act-Fact-Sheet-03.12.21.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. US CO2 Transport and Storage Infrastructure. n.d. https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CATF-SCALE-Act-Fact-Sheet-03.12.21.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=US CO2 Transport and Storage Infrastructure |url=https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CATF-SCALE-Act-Fact-Sheet-03.12.21.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendco2, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{US CO2 Transport and Storage Infrastructure}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://www.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CATF-SCALE-Act-Fact-Sheet-03.12.21.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }