The Biden Administration Will Spend $1.2 Billion On Two Projects That Remove CO2 From The Air

The U.S. Energy Department announced a $1.2 billion investment in two projects that remove carbon dioxide from the air, one in Texas and one in Louisiana. The two sites are expected to eliminate over 2 million metric tons of CO2 every year, making the initiative the largest of its kind to date in the United States.

This is like taking nearly half a million gas-powered cars off the road,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in a call with the press on Friday. “This technology can help us make serious headway toward our net zero emissions goals.”

This $1.2 billion is the first portion of money allocated to specific projects out of a $3.5 billion program created to remove carbon from the atmosphere by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Two more carbon removal sites are expected to be announced in 2024.

This is the most amount of funding the U.S. government has ever dedicated to direct air capture (DAC). The technology uses chemical reactions to separate CO2 from the air; companies have different means of storing the CO2, but many store it underground.

“These hubs are going to help the U.S. achieve a net zero greenhouse gas economy by 2050,” Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and the White House Infrastructure Coordinator for the bipartisan initiative, said in the call. He said the projects will create 5,000 new jobs between Texas and Louisiana.

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