Congressmen press party leaders to advance carbon capture legislation

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan coalition of congressmen led by Rep. Mike Conway, R-Llano, is pressuring House leaders to extend and expand tax credits for carbon capture.

In a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Thursday, 43 House members asked they include the provision in upcoming legislation to extend tax credits, as Sen. Orin Hatch, R-Utah, has in the Senate.

In a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Thursday, 43 House members asked they include the provision in upcoming legislation to extend tax credits, as Sen. Orin Hatch, R-Utah, has in the Senate.

"While the current credit has spurred development and advancement in [carbon capture], there are inherent limitations hindering its full potential," the letter reads. "Due to long lead times for construction and development of these projects, the current structure of the credit has, in effect, all but rendered it expired. This lack of certainty has deterred private investment and halted construction of new projects."

Carbon capture, through which the carbon emissions produced by burning fossil fuels are captured and then either stored underground or used in an industrial process like oil production, remains prohibitively expensive despite incentives and funding during the former Obama administration.

But most experts view the technology as essential is countries are to achieve the carbon reduction goals laid out in the Paris climate accord. And companies around the globe have set themselves to figuring out how to capture carbon economically.

Carbon capture "technologies are a testament to America's strong innovative spirit," the congressmen wrote.