§16298 Carbon Utilization Program

Summary

The Secretary, working with the EPA Administrator, must run a program to research, test, and help bring to market ways to use carbon. The program must check how new carbon-using technologies affect lifecycle carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental safety signals, including when used in enhanced hydrocarbon recovery under section 16293. It must find and study new uses for carbon (including converting carbon oxides) that, on a full lifecycle basis, permanently cut or avoid adding CO2 to the air for products like chemicals, plastics, building materials, fuels, cement, coal-use products, and other marketable items. The program must also study carbon capture for industry and zero-net-emission uses of coal, such as carbon engineering, carbon fiber, and coal conversion methods. When funding demonstrations and commercialization, the Secretary must give priority to projects that have access to a U.S. stationary CO2 source of at least 250 metric tons per day, small-scale testing equipment with onsite larger test bays for scale-up, and at least one partner such as a National Laboratory, college or university, private company, or government entity. The Secretary must run these activities together with those under section 16298a as one combined Department program. Congress may provide $50,000,000 for the program, and the money stays available until spent.