Sponsors (2)
The bill directs federal support and governance to scale carbon dioxide removal—potentially accelerating climate mitigation, industry growth, and transparency—but does so at the risk of sizable taxpayer costs, localized environmental impacts, higher compliance burdens for smaller players, and possible equity gaps in who benefits.
Taxpayers and the broader public could see reduced greenhouse gas concentrations over time as federal procurement funds removal of up to 10 million tCO2e per year beginning in 2036, contributing to long‑term climate mitigation.
Middle‑class families, small business owners, and rural communities could gain local economic activity and jobs because the program prioritizes commercialization of innovative removal technologies and domestic supply chains.
Taxpayers and communities would get more transparency and accountability because independent measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) and public reporting of prices, verifiers, and locations are required.
Taxpayers face substantial increased federal spending risk because the program authorizes “such sums as are necessary” to meet removal targets, which could raise long‑term fiscal costs.
Rural communities and middle‑class families near projects could experience concentrated local land‑use and environmental impacts if high per‑ton procurement payments (up to the statutory caps) encourage clustering of projects.
Small business owners and some landowners could be disadvantaged because eligibility exclusions (e.g., excluding photosynthetic removal and EOR) limit participation for certain established approaches and industries.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates rising federal CDR procurement targets, sets per‑ton price ceilings, requires independent MMRV standards, and orders a DOE report on scaling program design and financing.
Official title: To require the Secretary of Energy to remove carbon dioxide directly from ambient air or seawater, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 27, 2026 by Paul Tonko · Last progress July 27, 2026
Requires the federal government to secure steadily increasing amounts of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) each year starting in FY2026, with statutory annual targets that rise to 10 million metric tons per year by FY2036 and thereafter. It sets maximum per‑ton procurement price thresholds (adjustable for inflation), prioritizes a share of removals from small projects, and requires independent measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) standards. Directs the Department of Energy, working with other agencies, to deliver a report within one year on program design and financing options for a scalable federal CDR offtake program capable of reaching gigaton-per-year removal by 2050, including organizational and financing models to implement such a program.