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The Clean Air Task Force criticizes recent U.S. executive orders on nuclear energy for failing to provide the financial mechanisms needed to scale deployment, especially as Congress moves to reduce tax credits and restrict the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office.

The policy brief outlines federal leadership opportunities to bolster U.S. energy security and global competitiveness through the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), advanced nuclear fission and fusion, and superhot rock geothermal energy. It emphasizes the need to bridge the "missing middle" investment gap—where projects are too large for venture capital but too risky for institutional investors—by utilizing a combination of R&D funding, demonstration grants, and extended tax credits. Key recommendations include increasing the 45Q tax credit to $120, extending tech-neutral credits (48E and 45Y) through 2040, and streamlining permitting for CO2 pipelines and Class VI wells. The brief also calls for scaling the nuclear supply chain, modernizing spent fuel policy, and establishing a Geothermal Center for Excellence to ensure the U.S. maintains a competitive edge against international mechanisms like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) criticizes the Department of the Interior (DOI) for implementing expedited permitting processes for energy and mining projects on public lands. CATF contends that the "energy emergency" used to justify these rollbacks is unsubstantiated, as the U.S. is a net energy exporter and the policy excludes scalable renewables like wind and solar. The document highlights that compressed review timelines—including a proposed ten-day comment period for Environmental Impact Statements and a seven-day window for Tribal consultation—undermine public transparency and legal safeguards. Furthermore, CATF argues that these changes increase litigation risks and industry uncertainty due to inconsistent interagency coordination and a lack of clarity regarding supplemental infrastructure like transmission lines.

The document argues that while methane-reducing technologies for livestock are emerging, their widespread adoption requires a combination of technically sound solutions, tailored financial mechanisms, and strengthened advisory services. It emphasizes the need to move beyond methane intensity improvements to achieve absolute emissions reductions, particularly in developing countries. Key barriers identified include the lack of practical Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems and the necessity for economic viability for farmers. Proposed solutions include Advance Market Commitments and insetting programs to de-risk investment and distribute financial benefits across the supply chain.

The U.S. cement industry generates 71.3 million metric tons of GHG emissions annually, representing 1.1% of total gross U.S. GHG emissions. Decarbonization is challenging because nearly 60% of these emissions are non-energy-related process emissions from limestone calcination. The report identifies several technological pathways, including carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), alternative feedstocks (such as electrochemical calcination), and clinker substitution. It argues that a coordinated policy portfolio—combining financial support, market-based tools like advance market commitments, and regulatory measures such as performance-based material standards—is required to bridge the investment gap. Total capital expenditures needed through 2050 are estimated between $69 billion and $120 billion, with approximately $11.4 billion in public spending required over the next decade to de-risk private investment and build necessary CO2 infrastructure.

The Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program is designed to demonstrate localized hydrogen production and end-use to create a synergistic national hydrogen economy. The author warns that planned funding cuts by the Trump administration would jeopardize an estimated 334,280 jobs and tens of billions of dollars in private sector investment. The document emphasizes that a network of hubs is necessary to create a viable market for hydrogen-fueled equipment and to maintain U.S. leadership in low-carbon hydrogen production and technology exports.

The document argues that Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries must implement coordinated national and regional strategies to decarbonise heavy industries like refining and ammonia production. It identifies four priority actions: cost-competitive policy design, targeted deployment in industrial clusters, shared financial risk schemes, and cross-border collaboration for infrastructure. The analysis highlights that CEE accounts for nearly 25% of EU hydrogen consumption, with Poland as the dominant user, and emphasizes that the lack of domestic regulatory frameworks for CO2 storage in Poland currently forces a reliance on more expensive export options.

The report critiques the reliance on Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) for power system planning, noting that while useful for tracking historical technology costs, it fails to account for system-wide needs, generation profiles, and integration costs. It highlights that clean firm technologies can reduce overall system costs despite higher LCOEs. The authors recommend moving toward comprehensive system-level analyses that model temporal and spatial constraints to optimize decarbonization pathways.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that the EU must update its Nuclear Illustrative Programme (PINC) to better support nuclear energy through technology-neutral state aid, streamlined regulatory frameworks for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and strengthened domestic fuel supply chains to reduce reliance on Russia.

The report establishes a methodology for mapping superhot rock (SHR) geothermal resources globally, defining SHR as heat from subsurface formations exceeding 374°C. Using the LithoRef18 global reference model and a 'hydrothermal proxy' to account for non-steady-state heat flow, the study estimates the un-risked global resource. For depths of 4-8 km ('today's resource'), the estimated potential is 3,272 GWe (13,895 GWth). For depths of 8-12.5 km ('tomorrow's resource'), the potential increases to 59,930 GWe (245,581 GWth). The analysis identifies 125 countries with SHR potential, with significant resources in the US, China, Indonesia, and others. The report also analyzes flow rate uncertainties using a database of 33 petrothermal projects, determining a P50 flow rate of 55 l/s for its calculations.

The author contends that while federal funding is essential for proving new technologies, onerous application processes and unclear requirements hinder innovators. The document recommends implementing a unified application interface, allowing a single application for multiple funding programs, providing clear upfront information needs, and articulating the legal basis for grant requirements to improve efficiency and project viability.

The Clean Air Task Force outlines the EU's current reliance on Russian nuclear fuel, particularly for VVER reactors, and proposes strategies to enhance supply chain resilience through alternative suppliers, domestic production, and strategic international cooperation.

The document outlines New Mexico's legislative achievements in 2025, including the creation of a $210M Community Benefit Fund and new regulatory fees for carbon-dioxide storage wells, while urging the state to address industrial emissions and geothermal investment.

The author contends that the U.S. administration's decision to exit the Paris Climate Agreement and end international climate finance creates significant risks for the United States. These include the loss of diplomatic soft power, the forfeiture of economic opportunities in a clean energy market projected to exceed $2 trillion by 2035, and the creation of a power vacuum likely to be filled by China or other actors like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The text asserts that maintaining a leadership role is essential for U.S. companies to ensure market transparency and harmonization abroad, and warns that domestic policy rollbacks further undermine American innovation and long-term energy competitiveness.

The U.S. steel industry is already less carbon-intensive than other major regions due to a high reliance on electric arc furnaces (EAFs), which account for 70% of production. However, the remaining 30% relies on integrated blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) routes to produce high-quality steel. Decarbonization requires transitioning these integrated mills to direct reduced iron (DRI) and submerged arc furnaces (SAF) or implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS). While clean electricity offers a 'quick win' for EAFs, deep decarbonization is hindered by the high cost of green hydrogen and the need for extensive CCS infrastructure. The report argues that because steel is a low-margin commodity, government policy—including carbon taxes, border adjustment mechanisms, and demand-side incentives—is essential to offset the increased costs of low-carbon production.

The policy brief asserts that energy tax credits are critical for commercializing diverse energy technologies to meet rising demand from AI and data centers, while lowering costs for households and strengthening local economies. It highlights specific credits—including 45Y, 48E, 45Q, 45V, and 45X—as vital for the development of baseload power (advanced nuclear, geothermal, fusion), carbon capture, hydrogen, and critical mineral manufacturing. The author warns that repealing these credits or shortening their eligibility would increase energy prices, threaten jobs, and undermine U.S. leadership in global markets, particularly against competitors like China. Additionally, the brief emphasizes that mechanisms like direct pay and transferability are necessary for tax-exempt entities and high-cost projects, such as advanced nuclear, to monetize these incentives.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) developed an in-house methodology to model the impact of the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule on diesel emissions and public health. By layering ACT's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales mandates onto U.S. EPA emissions projections for 2032 and 2038, the model estimates avoided diesel fuel consumption and subsequent pollutant reductions. The analysis considers three scenarios: current adoption (11 states), expanded adoption (20 states), and full adoption across 48 contiguous states. To determine health impacts, the model uses the EPA's CO-Benefits Risk Assessment (COBRA) screening model to translate emission reductions into lives saved. For example, the model estimates that ACT enforcement in California in 2038 would reduce on-road diesel use by 547,681 gallons, representing a 16% reduction compared to a business-as-usual case, which would save 94 lives.

The U.S. currently leads the private fusion energy sector with 25 companies and over $6 billion in investment, but faces significant competition from China's state-funded programs. The report highlights fusion's potential to provide clean, firm power, support AI-driven energy demand from data centers, and create a new export market. To maintain leadership, the author recommends a $9.25 billion one-time appropriation for the 2025 Reconciliation Package, reorienting Department of Energy research toward commercialization gaps like breeding blankets, and streamlining regulatory and export frameworks.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) utilizes the U.S. EPA's CO-Benefits Risk Assessment (COBRA) screening model to estimate health impacts from 2026 diesel emissions. The methodology employs a damage function approach to translate emissions into ambient PM2.5 concentrations, then into adverse health effects such as premature mortality, and finally into monetized economic damages. For 2026, national attributable premature mortality is estimated to range from 3,700 to 8,500 deaths. Additionally, CATF calculates cancer risk using a California Air Resources Board (CARB) risk factor, estimating 220 lifetime cancers per million population for 2026 based on projected concentrations of 0.25 ug/m3.

The EU's current clean hydrogen strategy faces a significant gap between aspiration and achievement, with renewable hydrogen accounting for less than 0.4% of total supply. The authors advocate for a broader definition of clean hydrogen that includes carbon capture-enabled reforming, methane pyrolysis, and nuclear-powered electrolysis to improve scalability and affordability. They recommend prioritising hydrogen for hard-to-electrify sectors like chemicals, steel, shipping, and aviation, while steering residential heating and passenger vehicles toward direct electrification. To overcome high costs—where clean hydrogen can reach €17 per kilogram compared to €3.5 per kilogram for unabated hydrogen—the document calls for additional subsidies and the development of centralised production-consumption hubs to reduce expensive transportation.