Call to Action on a Direct Air Capture Hub in California

California has identified the deployment of carbon dioxide removal, including direct air capture and biomass carbon removal, as necessary to achieving the state’s climate goals. As newer technologies the federal Department of Energy is awarding four grants of roughly $500-700 million each to establish Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs (“DAC Hubs”) to support early development. […]

Reflections on the inaugural California Biomass Workshop

Last week Conservation Strategy Group and the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and Economy co-hosted the inaugural California Biomass Workshop to address the key challenges and opportunities in delivering a sustainable bioeconomy to California. Over 200 attendees from state and federal agencies, tribes, research organizations, technology developers, community groups and environmental NGOs led […]

Inaugural California Biomass Workshop a key opportunity for progress

California’s rural communities are in the grip of a wood waste crisis – with millions of tons of residues from wildfire prevention and agriculture being piled and burned or left to decompose every year, causing major carbon and air pollution. This problem is expected to become significantly worse as the state ramps up its forest […]

Analyzing California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) is an important source of public funding to achieve the state’s climate and equity goals. Established in 2012, it generates on average about $3 billion each year for appropriation by the Legislature. The current main programs funded by the GGRF include High-Speed Rail and Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities. […]

How clean hydrogen can enable California’s climate goals

Hydrogen is sometimes referred to as the Swiss Army Knife of climate solutions due to its potential to replace fossil fuels in multiple sectors. However, not all hydrogen is created equal – with certain production methods better for the climate than others. Prioritizing end-uses for hydrogen based upon regional characteristics can also ensure that project […]

Gov. Newsom and Legislature reach landmark agreement on Clean Energy Central Procurement

This blog was co-authored with Alex Breckel, Director of Clean Energy Infrastructure Deployment at Clean Air Task Force. Last week the Administration and Legislature reached an agreement on a new package of clean energy policies, key to which is the proposed authorization for the Department of Water Resources to centrally procure “diverse clean energy resources”. The […]

Direct Air Capture Hubs: California projects successful in receiving DOE grants

Earlier today, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the recipients sharing in $1.2 billion in Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hub funding made available via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Four California projects, including three in Kern County, were successful in their grant applications: California DAC Hub Consortium. The DAC Hub Consortium received $12 million […]

Recommendations to solve California’s biomass challenge

With its world-leading policies on electrification and clean power, California has made important progress towards achieving its climate goals. However, not all emissions are from the energy and industrial sectors. Land-based emissions, including from burning or decaying biomass, must also be addressed to achieve a carbon neutrality goal. Owing to its vast natural and working […]

The challenges of carbon capture and storage in California: Commercial frameworks

California has significant ambitions for carbon capture and storage (CCS), with a goal for this technology to make-up 25% of the state’s net-zero portfolio. However, there are currently no operating CCS projects in California. In a previous post, we highlighted how an immature regulatory framework is a key reason for this and identified opportunities to […]

California’s transmission permitting: Slowest in the West?

In a recent blog post, Clean Air Task Force’s Nelson Falkenburg and CSG’s Sam Uden explore one of the main drivers behind California’s decade-long lead times to transmission development, which is a key permitting application at the California Public Utilities Commission known as the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. Nelson and Sam compare these […]