WASHINGTON (April 15, 2021) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement in advance of a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the role of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and energy innovation in American economic competitiveness.
“We welcome today’s hearing on the role of DOE and energy innovation in American economic competitiveness. The U.S. chemical industry is exploring, developing and deploying a host of exciting new technologies as part of our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing and use of our products. These include carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS); lower-emission hydrogen, steam, and electricity; the use of biomaterials and circular feedstocks; and cracker electrification. Many of our members are deeply involved in these projects.
“Our work builds on a heritage of energy innovation. The chemistry industry is a leader in the use of combined heat and power (CHP), a highly efficient process for generating heat and electricity on-site. We helped pioneer catalytic technologies that let facilities produce more with less energy. Last year, ACC established a partnership with DOE to enhance innovation in energy efficient plastics recycling and reduce waste through enhanced recovery of post-use plastics. And chemistry and plastics play an essential role in light-weighting and electrifying vehicles and insulating our buildings to save energy, reduce emissions and enhance U.S. competitiveness.
“ACC supports provisions of the CLEAN Future Act that would create a DOE program to support manufacturing of clean energy systems and help reduce emissions related to energy-intensive manufacturing. We also endorse a section that establishes a Sustainable Industry Rebate Program at DOE to assist industrial facilities in making upgrades to improve energy and water efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“We support policies to promote energy innovation, encourage a diverse mix of energy and electricity sources, and improve the regulatory permitting process for energy and manufacturing projects. The Securing Cleaner American Energy package advances each of these goals.”
