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10 min ago 2 min read
US lawmakers have reintroduced legislation that would create a federal market for carbon dioxide removal (CDR), requiring the US Department of Energy (DOE) to purchase increasing volumes of verified carbon removals.
The Carbon Dioxide Leadership Act of 2026, introduced by US Representatives Paul D. Tonko and Scott Peters and US Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Chris Coons, would use federal procurement to provide long-term demand for carbon dioxide (CO2) removal services through government purchasing.
The bill would require the DOE to buy carbon removals from direct air capture (DAC) and other durable carbon removal technologies.
DAC removes CO2 directly from the atmosphere for permanent storage or utilisation.
The reintroduced legislation largely mirrors the 2024 proposal but shifts the procurement schedule back by one fiscal year.
Under a new timeline, the DOE would purchase 50,000 tonnes of CO2 removals during fiscal years 2026 and 2027, before scaling to 500,000 tonnes, five million tonnes, and ultimately ten million tonnes annually from fiscal year 2036.
The bill also includes requirements for measuring, monitoring, reporting, and verifying carbon removals, alongside a declining price limit per tonne of CO2 intended to encourage cost reductions over time and support investment in emerging technologies.
US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said, “The fight against climate change will not succeed without carbon removal… Our bill would invest in promising carbon removal technologies and help put the planet on a pathway to climate safety.”
