BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS HEARING TO EXAMINE S. 383, THE UTILIZING SIGNIFICANT EMISSIONS WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES ACT, AND THE STATE OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT REDUCE, CAPTURE, AND USE CARBON DIOXIDE

The Clean Air Task Force supports the USE IT Act as a critical tool for developing a diversified portfolio of low-carbon technologies. The testimony emphasizes that meeting global temperature targets requires not only emission reductions but also negative emissions, which can be achieved through carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) and direct air capture (DAC). The author argues that the USE IT Act will catalyze innovation through prize competitions and facilitate the expansion of the US CO2 pipeline network, which currently stands at 4,500 miles but may need to reach 66,000 miles to support large-scale deployment.

• To limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius, manmade CO2 emissions must be reduced by 50–80% by 2050 compared to 2010 levels; a limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius requires a 65–90% reduction.
• A diversified technology portfolio is necessary to mitigate the risk of any single technology failing and to address emissions from diverse sources, such as steel and cement production or long-haul trucking and aircraft, which are difficult to electrify.
• Carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) is critical for decarbonizing 'hard to reach' sectors, including industrial process emissions and the production of zero-carbon fuels like hydrogen or ammonia.
• The USE IT Act supports the development of direct air capture (DAC) and CO2 utilization, which are in earlier stages of innovation compared to industrial carbon capture.
• The US currently has 4,500 miles of CO2 pipelines, but a 2009 study suggests that substantial use of carbon capture technology would require up to 66,000 miles.
• The 45Q tax incentive, expanded by the FUTURE Act, has the economic potential to reduce power sector emissions by 49 million tonnes per year by 2030, though this depends on infrastructure development.

APA

Waltzer, K. (2019). BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS HEARING TO EXAMINE S. 383, THE UTILIZING SIGNIFICANT EMISSIONS WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES ACT, AND THE STATE OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT REDUCE, CAPTURE, AND USE CARBON DIOXIDE. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/21093739/CATF_KWaltzer_Testimony_USEITAct.pdf

Chicago

Waltzer, Kurt. BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS HEARING TO EXAMINE S. 383, THE UTILIZING SIGNIFICANT EMISSIONS WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES ACT, AND THE STATE OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT REDUCE, CAPTURE, AND USE CARBON DIOXIDE. Clean Air Task Force, 2019. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/21093739/CATF_KWaltzer_Testimony_USEITAct.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Waltzer |first1=Kurt |title=BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS HEARING TO EXAMINE S. 383, THE UTILIZING SIGNIFICANT EMISSIONS WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES ACT, AND THE STATE OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT REDUCE, CAPTURE, AND USE CARBON DIOXIDE |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=27 February 2019 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/21093739/CATF_KWaltzer_Testimony_USEITAct.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{waltzer2019before, author = {Waltzer, Kurt}, title = {{BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS HEARING TO EXAMINE S. 383, THE UTILIZING SIGNIFICANT EMISSIONS WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES ACT, AND THE STATE OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT REDUCE, CAPTURE, AND USE CARBON DIOXIDE}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2019}, month = feb, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/21093739/CATF_KWaltzer_Testimony_USEITAct.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }