State policymakers can enact real change by enabling carbon dioxide removal

RMI has developed the State CDR Atlas, a screening tool designed to help US state policymakers and industry actors identify the most promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches for their specific geographies and evaluate the readiness of their policy and regulatory environments.

• RMI created the State CDR Atlas to assist state-level stakeholders in navigating the diverse range of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches. The tool uses over 80 metrics across categories such as infrastructure, natural resources, workforce, governance, policies, and regulations to provide two distinct ratings for each of the 50 US states across eight CDR approach categories: an Opportunity Rating, based on pre-existing state qualities, and an Enabling Policy Rating, which assesses the current regulatory landscape's readiness for safe deployment.
• US states are positioned as central actors in scaling CDR because the technology is not a monolith; different approaches have varying requirements for land, energy, water, and feedstock. States can leverage their unique resources and regulatory authority over infrastructure siting and permitting to move faster than the federal government.
• Using Virginia as a case study, the Atlas identifies high opportunities for Bioenergy + CCS, Ocean Biomass CDR, Ocean Geochemical CDR, and Direct Ocean Capture (DOC). However, the tool also reveals specific gaps: Virginia's DOC potential is hindered by low scores in CO2 infrastructure and clean energy availability (specifically low renewable generation potential and current percent generation in renewables compared to other states). Additionally, Virginia is described as lagging in CDR supply and demand policy, lacking grants, government procurement programs, or compliance mechanisms.
• For Terrestrial Enhanced Weathering (TEW)—the addition of alkaline minerals to soils to store carbon—the Atlas emphasizes that states with large amounts of relevant farmland and ready sources of alkaline minerals are particularly well suited. To enable TEW, RMI suggests that policymakers fund research for safety standards, prioritize USDA funding, or create incentives for farmers to adopt TEW as a climate-smart practice.

APA

RMI (2024). State policymakers can enact real change by enabling carbon dioxide removal. https://rmi.org/resources/state-policymakers-can-enact-real-change-by-enabling-carbon-dioxide-removal/

Chicago

RMI. State policymakers can enact real change by enabling carbon dioxide removal. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/state-policymakers-can-enact-real-change-by-enabling-carbon-dioxide-removal/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=State policymakers can enact real change by enabling carbon dioxide removal |date=23 October 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/state-policymakers-can-enact-real-change-by-enabling-carbon-dioxide-removal/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024state, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{State policymakers can enact real change by enabling carbon dioxide removal}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/state-policymakers-can-enact-real-change-by-enabling-carbon-dioxide-removal/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }