Tag: Clean Air Task Force

BLM takes critical step forward with updated Western Solar Plan, accelerates clean energy deployment while safeguarding climate

Stuart Mitchell

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently unveiled its proposed strategy for solar energy development on public lands. The proposed updated Western Solar Plan, released alongside the Final Utility-Scale Solar Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, will expand availability of applications for utility-scale solar development across 31 million acres of public lands in 11 western states.  “We commend BLM for adopting a strategic approach to accelerating clean energy development on public lands,” said Nicole Pavia, Clean Energy Infrastructure Deployment Director at Clean Air Task Force (CATF). “By steering solar development to…

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New report offers inventory of state renewable energy siting policies in the U.S.

Stuart Mitchell

A new report details state renewable energy siting policies and permitting authorities across the United States, profiling all 50 states plus Puerto Rico. Compiled by researchers from the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) and Clean Air Task Force (CATF), with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and Consensus Building Institute (CBI), this report serves as an essential resource for policymakers, project developers, and community members navigating the complex landscape of renewable energy project permitting and siting across the U.S.   “We have an unprecedented opportunity…

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France and Austria release ambitious carbon management strategies to combat climate change

Stuart Mitchell

France has unveiled its Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) strategy, outlining its roadmap for reducing carbon emissions by capturing CO2 from industrial sources and utilising or storing it to prevent its release into the atmosphere. These technologies will also be critical in helping France reach carbon neutrality through the capture and storage of biogenic or atmospheric CO2.  “As one of the EU’s largest contributors to industrial CO2 emissions, France will need CCUS to achieve its climate targets while preserving its manufacturing base” said Toby Lockwood, Technology and Markets Director…

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Dedicated clean hydrogen production likely has a limited role in power sector decarbonization, finds CATF report

Stuart Mitchell

Clean Air Task Force analyzed the plausibility of clean hydrogen use in the power sector and found that dedicated clean hydrogen production and use, in many cases, is a costly and inefficient decarbonization strategy. Meanwhile, using electrolytic hydrogen as a storage fuel to balance excess surplus clean electricity could have some applications, but alternative strategies that minimize the need for long-duration storage, such as deploying clean firm generation like geothermal or nuclear, would likely be more cost effective.  “Interest in using hydrogen to decarbonize power systems has skyrocketed, specifically as…

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Updated analysis shows dramatic variation of methane emissions among U.S. oil and gas producers

Stuart Mitchell

Ceres and Clean Air Task Force, with analysis from ERM, have released the third annual report, Benchmarking Methane and other GHG Emissions of Oil and Natural Gas Production in the United States, which analyzes the production-based emissions of the largest oil and gas producers in the United States and highlights dramatic variation among producers and basins.    The report provides clear, consistent information that investors, operators, natural gas purchasers, policymakers and regulators can use to compare producers’ performance in an industry where voluntarily reported emissions metrics have historically been inconsistent and…

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