Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources “Hearing on Offshore Energy Technologies”

The document advocates for a transition to zero-carbon fuels like hydrogen and ammonia to address the high emissions of the marine shipping sector, which is identified as a "hard to abate" industry. It details production pathways including electrolysis and gas reforming with carbon capture and storage (CCS), and proposes federal policy interventions such as the American Energy Innovation Act of 2020, production tax credits, and the creation of regional fuel hubs to reduce costs and build necessary infrastructure.

• The marine shipping sector is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions; if it were a country, it would rank sixth globally in emissions, trailing only Japan and ahead of Germany, the United Kingdom, and South Korea.
• Decarbonizing the global shipping sector by 2050 using hydrogen and ammonia is estimated to cost between USD $1.4 trillion and $1.9 trillion, with 87% of that investment required for fuel production.
• Ammonia is presented as a highly viable marine fuel because it is more easily stored and transported than hydrogen, can be used in modified internal combustion engines, and leverages existing port infrastructure.
• Current alternatives to fossil fuels in shipping have limitations: LNG may have lifecycle emissions as high as fuel oil due to methane leakage, and biofuels face significant sustainability and scalability challenges.
• Zero-carbon fuels can be produced via two primary pathways: electrolysis using zero-carbon electricity (nuclear, wind, solar) or steam methane reforming (SMR) combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
• Beyond shipping, zero-carbon fuels are identified as critical for other hard-to-electrify sectors, including long-haul heavy trucking, industrial processes like ironmaking, and long-duration energy storage for electric grids.

APA

Lewis, J. F. (2020). Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources “Hearing on Offshore Energy Technologies”. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/21092723/Jonathan-Lewis-Testimony-on-Offshore-Energy.pdf

Chicago

Lewis, Jonathan F. Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources “Hearing on Offshore Energy Technologies”. Clean Air Task Force, 2020. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/21092723/Jonathan-Lewis-Testimony-on-Offshore-Energy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lewis |first1=Jonathan F. |title=Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources “Hearing on Offshore Energy Technologies” |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=22 September 2020 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/21092723/Jonathan-Lewis-Testimony-on-Offshore-Energy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lewis2020written, author = {Lewis, Jonathan F.}, title = {{Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy \& Natural Resources “Hearing on Offshore Energy Technologies”}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/21092723/Jonathan-Lewis-Testimony-on-Offshore-Energy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }