The US Department of Energy appears poised to cancel the initial $50 million tranche of funding for two direct air capture projects: the South Texas Direct Air Capture Hub by Occidental Petroleum’s 1PointFive and Project Cypress, a collaboration between Battelle, Climeworks, and Heirloom in Louisiana. Originally, each project was slated to receive approximately $500 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aiming to develop regional carbon capture hubs across the country.
The termination of early grants injects uncertainty into whether the total planned funding will proceed. Neither the Department of Energy nor the companies involved have provided official comments, with some indicating ongoing discussions with the administration. This funding reversal may undermine commitments made to regional businesses and communities involved in these climate initiatives.
Industry voices have expressed concern that canceling funding could concede advantage to international competitors and hamper US leadership in direct air capture technology. The evolving situation highlights risks to the nation’s climate strategy and infrastructure investment plans as it adjusts support for emerging carbon removal technologies.
👉 Pročitaj original: MIT Technology Review – AI
