A study published in Environmental Science & Policy by Professor Charles Harvey and climate scientist, Lindsey Gulden reviews federal lobbying disclosures from 2005 to 2024 to understand why carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) technologies are heavily subsidized by the federal government.

The study highlights that the oil and gas industry has spent nearly $1billion since 2005 lobbying for CCUS subsidies with a small number of fossil fuel companies that are responsible for most of the spending. The study suggests that the primary motivation for the massive lobbying effort is not for climate benefit, but to protect fossil fuel projects and extend the operational lifespan of oil and gas infrastructure. The extension would allow the industry to continue to harvest government subsidies while delaying a transition to renewable energy. Harvey and Gulden argue that this concentrated influence has helped steer public funding and tax incentives toward solutions that prolong fossil fuel use rather than accelerate a transition to cleaner energy.

Read more at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S146290112500187