The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), signed into law in 2021, includes over $12 billion in funding for projects related to carbon management. Over five years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will award cost-share agreements to companies or other entities that apply. These investments are expected to create six carbon capture projects and several smaller-scale pilots, four direct air capture hubs, over 100 dedicated storage wells, and new carbon dioxide transportation infrastructure. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, includes an enhancement to the 45Q federal tax credit that incentivizes the private sector to build more carbon management projects. As the nation and states enact climate policy aimed at reaching climate targets, the fields of carbon capture and carbon removal are poised to grow. DOE and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) recognize the pressing need to work with other U.S. Government agencies on meaningful, public and community engagement. Meaningful engagement, as described in FECM’s engagement framework, involves building relationships and having a two-way dialogue with mutual learning that shapes how projects are developed.
To help us do this better, in November and December 2022, DOE embarked with federal partners on a pilot program of interactive workshops on carbon management. The aims were:
- For DOE and other government agencies to learn about community priorities, concerns, and ideas related to carbon projects, including how community members would like to be involved in projects moving forward.
- For community members to learn about the potential carbon projects that might be a fit for their area, the rationale for these projects, and opportunities for public participation along the lifespan of a project.
The workshops included several presentations, question and answer (Q-and-A) sessions and facilitated discussion periods. The presenters, agenda and discussion period styles varied for each workshop and were tailored to each of the specific locations. Read-outs from each workshop, including summaries of presentations, Q-and-A sessions, and community input gathered during a facilitated discussion are included in the following report “Workshop synthesis and recommendations: Insights from the 2022 Carbon Interactive Workshop Series.”