Heinrich, Lujan fighting greenhouse gas emissions with bills aimed at lowering pollution
New Mexico’s two Democrat U.S. Senators introduced legislation last week aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy development and shifting the nation to lower carbon forms of power with their state at the helm.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) announced on July 23 the Clean Hydrogen Future Act, which would establish a program to research and implement technology that would reduce the cost of hydrogen power while curbing air pollution during its generation.
The program would focus on the use of electrolyzers, which use electricity to split water molecules and create hydrogen.
The process would generate no greenhouse gases, Heinrich argued, as long as the electricity used was generated from “clean” sources such as renewable energy, wind or solar power.
The bill would expand the U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts into a five-year program and would endeavor to improve the performance of the electrolyzers and make them cheaper and more durable.
Heinrich said he believed “clean hydrogen” power could help the U.S. and New Mexico reach its climate change goals, and that Heinrich’s home state could be a leader in the emerging sector.
He said New Mexico would be an ideal state for hydrogen generation due to its wind and solar resources and growing
The devices can range in size and be suited for small-scale, appliance-sized equipment or larger production facilities that can be tied to renewable, nuclear or other non-greenhouse-gas-emitting forms of power, read a news release from Heinrich’s office.
Hydrogen can be used as transportation fuel or to heat homes, the release read, and could prove useful to industries like agriculture and manufacturing.“Today, hydrogen is mostly produced chemically from natural gas, which also produces carbon dioxide, but there’s a better, cleaner solution: electrolyzers,” Heinrich said. “That’s why I’m introducing this legislation to increase our ability to create clean hydrogen and reach our climate goals in New Mexico, and across America.
“I will continue fighting for renewable energy solutions, and to make the state of New Mexico the nation’s center of excellence for clean hydrogen production, research, and workforce development.”
The bill was supported by clean energy industry trade groups, who argued “green hydrogen” was still an untapped sector that could help decrease the U.S.’ reliance on fossil fuels.
“Green hydrogen is an exciting clean energy technology with promise across a wide range of important use cases. Like all emerging technologies, green hydrogen does not yet benefit from the scale or innovation that comes from multiple cycles of private sector deployment,” said Gregory Westone, president of the American Council on Renewable Energy.
Alongside new, developing technologies to curb carbon emissions, companies also need to see economic benefits of shifting to lower-polluting sources of energy.
That’s why U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) joined with U.S. John Barrasso (R-W) to introduce another piece of legislation that would increase tax credits for capturing carbon releases at industrial facilities like oil and gas wells or refineries, along with power plants.
The Coordinated Action to Capture Harmful (CATCH) Emissions Act would expand tax credits offered to companies to commercialize and put into practice new technologies designed to capture more carbon gas from facilities and infrastructure in the energy sector.
It would eliminate thresholds facilities were required to meet to qualify for the credit, broadening its scope to include more facilities and industries in the program.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported 54 percent of power plants and 75 percent of industrial facilities do not meet the current required thresholds and thus do not qualify for the tax credits.
Widening the availability, the senators argued, could lead to greater carbon capture, and help the U.S. lessen its impact on global pollution.“This bipartisan legislation will create a commercialization pathway for hard-to-decarbonize industrial facilities and spur the deployment of emissions-capturing technology at power plants, which will be critical to meet international climate goals,” Lujan said.
“By eliminating the threshold, this legislation will provide access to credit for new technologies, including the growing hydrogen industry in New Mexico. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to help lead on climate and build a clean energy economy.”
Brad Markell, executive director of the Industrial Union Council said the CATCH Act would help cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, while benefitting companies throughout the country looking to reduce their climate footprints.
“Together with the inclusion of labor and domestic content standards, the provisions outlined in this bill will help put American industry firmly on the path toward deep emissions reductions, and continue to promote American technology leadership and economic competitiveness,” he said.
