Carbon capture and storage can help California reach climate goals

OPINION – Almost six years ago, under the direction of former Governor Brown, California began an ambitious journey to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Since then, this goal has been enacted into law by our state’s lawmakers and successfully built on by Governor Newsom’s administration. Even with these important steps forward, there is still more to be done to reach this important climate goal. A recent report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office found that our state’s newest plan for carbon neutrality lacked a “clear strategy” and that emissions would need to decline much faster than we have seen in the past few years.

There has never been a better time to take the steps needed to protect our state for years to come. However, as we explore these pathways, we cannot lose sight of the effects an overzealous pursuit of these goals can have on California’s economy and its consumers. After all, we must be careful of jeopardizing jobs or our economy by going down the wrong path. For these reasons, carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects have emerged as one of the most promising possibilities for our state to reduce overall emissions and create new economic opportunities.

Carbon capture and storage is a process that captures CO2 that would otherwise be released from sources like industrial and power generation facilities and safely injected deep underground for storage. This helps to significantly reduce emissions from sectors like chemical production, steel manufacturing, and power generation. While it may sound like a futuristic technology, CCS has been used in the United States for over half a century and continues to grow in use both in the U.S. and around the globe. In California, it is considered a crucial element of the Governor’s plan to reduce emissions. As the plan lays out, our state must capture or remove around 100 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, to which CCS projects will be indispensable.

Beyond their ability to help our state reach its pressing emission reduction goals, CCS projects bring good-paying jobs and promising economic development to our state. A 2022 assessment from the Department of Energy found that the growth of the CCS market is expected to produce between 390,000 and 1.8 million high-quality jobs across various industries nationwide. This considerable opportunity for new jobs is welcome news for our state as California continues to bounce back from pandemic-induced job losses. For California’s Hispanic community, which was among the hardest hit by pay cuts and job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, CCS projects could offer new, well-paying job opportunities in a rapidly growing field.

As the leading voice for Hispanic and diverse business owners in our state for the past four decades, the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce proudly supports any opportunity that supports the diverse communities of our state. As such, we hope to see a continued exploration and implementation of CCS across California.

Ultimately, this may be one of the only ways we can reach our climate goals while supporting our economy.

Julian Cañete serves as the President and CEO of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (CHCC)