Help Wanted: Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Companies Mark Legislative Wins by Staffing up with Lobbyists

by Ben Lefebvre (Politico Pro) An industry that barely existed several years ago is pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into their lobbyist budgets. -- Democrats' blockbuster clean energy and infrastructure laws are proving a gold mine for at least one industry — lobbyists who work for the companies building carbon dioxide pipelines.

Companies in the industry not only have the government's seal of approval and financing — they also want to help shape the federal rules that are still under development and head off efforts by some of the same opponents who have succeeded in blocking natural gas and oil projects.

The Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act made $12.1 billion available to build out the nascent carbon capture industry, a controversial sector that will require influence with regulators as it needs raw materials to build new carbon dioxide pipelines. Lawmakers also increased the amount of money available via tax credits for the actual carbon companies captured.

The relatively young industry aims to take the greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sites and ship them via pipeline across numerous states to finally bury the gas in underground caverns. READ MORE