But the plan is risky: The nascent CCS industry has been plagued by high costs and underperformance, crucial federal incentives for carbon capture are stalled in Congress, and public opposition to the pipeline infrastructure needed to transport captured gas is mounting.
The government estimates that ethanol is between 20% and 40% less carbon intensive than gasoline. But a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that ethanol is likely at least 24% more carbon intensive than gasoline, largely due to the emissions generated from growing huge quantities of corn.
Matt Vining, the chief executive officer of Navigator CO2 Ventures, which is behind one of the pipeline projects, said at the National Ethanol Conference in February that companies using CCS will be able to “reserve [a] spot in line in a decarbonizing world.” “We’re very hopeful that those enhancements do move forward at some point, but even if they don’t, we’ve still got a powerful incentive in the existing 45Q,” said RFA’s chief executive officer Geoff Cooper.