The United States Congress is considering a bill that would provide support for research and development (R&D) activities on marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), creating a basis for the future responsible scaling of these technologies.
The bill, known as the Removing and Sequestering Carbon Unleashed in the Environment and Oceans Act (ReSCUE Act), was introduced by Senators Murkowski (R-AK) and Schatz (D-HI) and Representatives Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Carter (R-GA-01).
Marine CDR refers to a number of CO2 removal pathways, both biological and chemical, that can act as a powerful tool in the fight against climate change, but their wider deployment requires further research to ensure they are environmentally safe and effective.
The ReSCUE Oceans Act will support mCDR R&D in a pathway-neutral way, covering approaches ranging from ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) to coastal ecosystem restoration.
If this bipartisan and bicameral bill gets passed, it would launch a number of mechanisms that would back the development of mCDR.
These mechanisms include a Federal mCDR Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that would provide a deeper understanding of these technologies and their measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) requirements.
Additionally, the bill envisions investment in mCDR infrastructure and monitoring tools and knowledge-building on its social and ecological impacts and benefits. It also proposes the establishment of designated mCDR research areas that would enable research from lab experiments to demonstration projects.
To better study mCDR efficacy and effects, the bill outlines leveraging capabilities at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as standardizing the materials, measurement, data, and models for these technologies via the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST).
Relevant: New Study Determines The Best US Spots For Electrochemical mCDR Deployments
A biannual federal mCDR report would summarize the federal activity, publicly funded research, and governance updates achieved over time, while the National Science Foundation (NSF) would dedicate efforts to support an mCDR workforce development, and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), led by the Department of Energy (DOE) and NOAA, would coordinate the R&D, developing and implementing an mCDR Code of Conduct, and boosting public access to mCDR data.
The legislation is endorsed by a number of relevant market bodies, including Carbon180, Carbon Removal Alliance, Carbon To Sea Initiative, ClearPath Action, Climate Innovation Action, Ocean Conservancy, Ocean Visions, World Resources Institute, and Third Way.
Read more: Carbon180, The Carbon Business Council & Ocean Conservancy Launch New mCDR Forum
