Letter to the Hon. Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, the Hon. Mac Thornberry, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, the Hon. James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the Hon. Jack Reed, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee - Barrasso Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter Calling for the USE IT Act in NDAA

Letter

Dear Chairmen Smith and Inhofe and Ranking Members Thornberry and Reed:

As you finalize the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act ("FY21 NDAA"), we urge you to include provisions in the final bill that would support the development and demonstration of vital carbon capture and removal technologies.

The House- and Senate-passed FY21 NDAA bills again recognize that the United States must guard itself from those national security risks otherwise related to changes to the global climate landscape. Investments in carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration ("CCUS") and direct air capture ("DAC") technologies would manage these risks, while fostering new industries and creating important domestic jobs as the United States emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The USE IT Act, included in the Senate-passed version of the FY21 NDAA, would do just that, and represents an important step towards addressing those risks by incentivizing the development of CCUS and DAC technologies, and the increased beneficial use of captured carbon.

It is imperative that you maintain the USE IT Act language contained in the Senate-passed bill in order to address not only immediate national security risks, but also the broader issues of energy security, economic vitality, environmental sustainability, and America's leadership at the forefront of CCUS technologies.

We thank you for considering our request and look forward to working with you on this important issue.