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The document combines findings from community surveys in New Jersey, Louisiana, and the Navajo Nation with stakeholder interviews to evaluate the Community Benefits Plan (CBP) required for most U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding. While the CBP is seen as a tool to improve worker and community outcomes, survey data reveals deep skepticism due to unfulfilled past promises and a preference for environmental quality improvements over clean energy expansion. Implementation challenges include limited DOE capacity, stakeholder fatigue, and a need for greater accountability and resources for under-resourced community groups.

The report presents a preliminary techno-economic model for superhot rock energy, estimating that Nth-of-a-kind (NOAK) plants could achieve a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) between $20-35 per megawatt-hour (MWh). The model categorizes costs into well field development, power plant construction, and project financing, assuming a 250 MWe plant capacity and a 30-year lifetime. Key findings indicate that flow rate is the most significant driver of LCOE, while reductions in drilling costs alone have a relatively minor impact on overall capital expenditures. The analysis compares two technology regimes: one based on current drilling and casing technology and another assuming advanced 'energy drilling' that eliminates the need for casing. The report emphasizes that commercialization depends on breakthroughs in high-temperature materials, such as casing and cementing, and thermal reservoir creation.

The report evaluates the technical and economic viability of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), contrasting them with large-scale nuclear power plants (NPPs) and variable renewable energy (VRE). It specifically analyzes the Romanian nuclear landscape, including the planned NuScale SMR in Doicești and the expansion of the Cernavodă plant. The authors argue that SMRs' modularity and standardization can mitigate the cost overruns typical of large NPPs. They recommend EU-level harmonization of licensing, the creation of a Joint Platform for SMR Procurements to achieve economies of scale, and improved public transparency in Romania.

The report evaluates solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) technology, highlighting its superior electrical efficiency when integrated with external heat sources, such as those found in steel, chemical, and nuclear plants. While the technology is more mature than often perceived—leveraging experience from the gigawatt-scale solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) industry—it faces challenges regarding stack durability due to high-temperature thermal stress and the need to scale from small modules to hundred-megawatt systems. The report finds that raw material supply chains are not a bottleneck and that gigawatt-scale manufacturing is feasible within 18 to 36 months.

The report details survey results from the Ironbound Community (New Jersey), Navajo Nation Chapters (New Mexico, Arizona, Utah), and St. James and St. John the Baptist Parishes (Louisiana). It finds widespread skepticism toward developers due to unfulfilled past promises and low initial awareness of CBPs. While support for CBPs increased after residents were informed of potential benefits, priorities varied: environmental quality (water and air) and affordable housing were highly valued, while specific clean energy funding like EV charging stations ranked lower. Residents strongly emphasized the need for transparent, accessible engagement and the inclusion of small business owners and environmental groups in negotiations.

The report identifies seven key vulnerabilities—health disparities, poverty, low educational attainment, poor infrastructure, housing insecurity, environmental harm, and lack of political voice—that characterize disenfranchised U.S. communities. It highlights how these factors compound, particularly for 'doubly vulnerable' populations, and argues that historical exploitation has created a legacy of mistrust that can hinder clean energy projects. The document also critiques current environmental justice screening tools for failing to account for cumulative risks and warns that energy transitions can inadvertently create new underserved communities if not managed equitably.

A coalition of organisations calls on the EU to maintain Article 18 of the Net-Zero Industry Act, which proposes mandatory CO2 storage injection capacity contributions from oil and gas producers based on their EU production share. The authors argue that this applies 'Extended Producer Responsibility' to the sector most responsible for the climate emergency, especially since the market has failed to deliver such capacity and public finances should be protected from the burden.

The report highlights the human and climate costs of gas flaring in countries that export fossil energy to the EU, noting that nearly 10 million people live within 5km of active flares. It advocates for the EU to leverage its market power by adopting a methane import standard to curb these emissions and improve global health outcomes.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) provides a framework for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and selected Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs to transition from application to action. CATF emphasizes prioritizing hydrogen for hard-to-abate sectors, ensuring transparency in project planning, coordinating funding across federal programs, and deepening community engagement to ensure equitable and climate-beneficial outcomes.

The policy brief outlines how Saudi Arabia and the UAE can leverage their geological storage potential and National Oil Companies to scale up carbon capture and storage (CCS). It identifies current project statuses, storage capacities, and recommends the creation of carbon management strategies, open-access storage hubs, and enduring financial incentives to decarbonize hard-to-abate industries and the power sector.

The Clean Air Task Force recommends that the EU implement a 100% CO2 emissions reduction target for new heavy-duty trucks by 2035, remove incentives for low-emission vehicles by 2030, and eliminate loopholes like the 'carbon correction factor'. The author asserts that zero-emission technologies, such as battery electric and fuel cells, are already commercially available and that regulatory certainty is required to prevent the EU from losing up to 11% of its market to China and the US by 2035. Adopting these standards is projected to add 27 billion EUR to the EU GDP and create 23,000 jobs.

The Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP), funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, is moving into the review phase for applications. The program will invest $6.3 billion to decarbonize high-emitting sectors such as iron, steel, cement, and chemicals. The Clean Air Task Force recommends that the Department of Energy define 'transformational' projects broadly, reserve funds for ongoing project support, and ensure a balance between deep decarbonization and community benefits. Additionally, the document calls for increased collaboration between private industry competitors and stronger policy support from state governments to meet federal funding deadlines by September 30, 2026.

The Clean Air Task Force analysis suggests that an EU import standard for oil and gas could reduce over 30% of global methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, which is 20 times more effective than regulating domestic EU production alone. The briefing proposes a methane intensity threshold of 1.7 kilotonnes of methane emitted per million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) to ensure a fair playing field for both oil and gas producers. Implementing this standard could save 90 billion cubic meters of gas, equivalent to nearly Germany's annual consumption, and generate €55 billion in total savings for exporting and EU-based producing countries.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) reports that in 2022 it helped secure over $370 billion in clean energy funding and expanded its operations to 46 countries. Key achievements included supporting the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S., advocating for carbon capture and storage strategies in Europe, and working to reduce global methane pollution and accelerate energy transformation in Africa.

The Environmental Commenters (EDF, CATF, NRDC, Sierra Club, and Earthworks) argue that current source-level reporting systematically underreports methane emissions. They recommend integrating top-down empirical data (satellite, aerial, and tower measurements) to validate bottom-up inventories. Key technical recommendations include establishing a 100 kg/hr threshold for 'large release events,' requiring continuous metering for a sample of pneumatic controllers to prevent data manipulation, and updating gathering pipeline emission factors using recent aerial studies rather than outdated distribution pipeline data. The group also emphasizes the need for rigorous reporting during ownership transfers to prevent 'transferred emissions' from escaping oversight and calls for extended reporting requirements for offshore facilities and plugged wells.

The document explores community ownership of clean energy infrastructure as a means to address socio-political and techno-economic barriers to deployment. It details various ownership models used in the US and Europe, including LLC direct ownership, partnership 'flips', and cooperatives, while highlighting the potential impact of the US Inflation Reduction Act's transferability and direct pay provisions.

The report examines the climate and health impacts of routine gas flaring in 20 countries that export oil and gas to the European Union. It finds that nearly 10 million people live within 5km of active flares in these nations, with Iraq and Nigeria being the most affected. The authors argue that the EU can use its buying power to catalyze flaring reductions by adopting a methane import standard, which would align with the EU's Global Health Strategy and the Global Methane Pledge.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) recommends that the EU prioritise 'no regrets' industrial sectors for hydrogen deployment, utilize all clean production pathways (including 'blue' hydrogen), and site production close to consumption to minimize transport inefficiencies. The report emphasizes that public funding should be matched to projects that provide socio-economic benefits to local communities and that a comprehensive EU database should be established to ensure transparency and collaboration.

The report finds that importing large quantities of low-carbon hydrogen to Europe is expensive and energy-inefficient due to hydrogen's low volumetric energy density. Pipeline transport is consistently more cost-effective than maritime shipping, with Norway and Algeria identified as the most competitive pipeline sources. Among maritime options, ammonia is the lowest-cost carrier, with the Arabian Gulf being the most economical exporter. The analysis suggests that importing LNG to produce hydrogen at the point of import may be more feasible than long-distance hydrogen transport. CATF recommends that the European Commission re-examine its 2030 target of 20 million tonnes of clean hydrogen per year, as it may lack a clear basis.

The briefing outlines five recommendations to enhance the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) to meet Europe's climate goals, focusing on increasing CO2 storage capacity, creating an EU-level aggregation platform for CO2 markets, improving Member State mapping of storage potential, leveraging oil and gas sector resources, and accelerating infrastructure permitting.