CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE INC

At Clean Air Task Force we are practical climate problem solvers with a simple purpose - to build momentum for solutions based on scientific evidence, intellectual integrity, and collaboration.

For over two decades we’ve been on a mission to push the change in technologies and policies needed to get to a zero-emissions, high-energy planet at an affordable cost. Our vision is for a world where the rising energy demands are met, locally and globally, in a way that is financially, socially, and environmentally sustainable.

We pursue the following goals in six key focus areas:
- Advanced Energy Systems: Produce rigorous analysis of the specific challenges to decarbonize the world energy economy, and what kind of technologies and systems will be needed to do so.
- Advanced Nuclear Energy: Create a global research and demonstration, commercial, regulatory, and social ecosystem in which nuclear technology can flourish and emerging technologies can be realized.
- Bioenergy: Redirect the production and use of bioenergy so that it contributes to, rather than undermines, decarbonization and climate stability and ensure that bioenergy use is at least carbon neutral and, where possible, carbon negative.
- Decarbonized Fossil Energy: Rapidly accelerate the adoption of carbon capture technologies to prevent the emission of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from power generation and industrial sources around the world.
- Power Plants: Enact direct carbon limits on power plants, gas as well as coal, and ensure the adoption of emission standards, by legislation or regulations, on U.S. fossil power plants that would zero out U.S. power sector carbon emissions by 2050.
- Super Pollutants: Catalyze deep, global reductions in methane and black carbon emissions to stave off the risk of irreversible changes to our climate.

CATF’s team of globally recognized energy policy and technology experts, are creative problem solvers who pursue change in three main ways:
- Technology Innovation: Working with companies and governments on effective strategies to commercialize and rapidly scale proven, as well as emerging, low-carbon energy and climate change mitigation technologies.
- Policy Advocacy: Create and enact policies to support low carbon energy and phase out carbon emitting energy.
- Thought Leadership: Through analysis, speaking, and networking, drive support and collaboration to realize the most effective policy and technology strategies to combat climate change.

We apply these strategies in 6 key Focus areas:
- Power Plants: Ensuring the adoption (by legislation and/or regulation) of emission standards on U.S. fossil power plants that would zero out power sector carbon emissions by 2050.
- Super Pollutants: Advocating for methane and black carbon emission reductions in the US and internationally by supporting scientific research, promoting policy initiatives, encouraging the development of financial incentives for pollution controls, and securing standards that can dramatically reduce emissions of these climate super pollutants.
- Bioenergy: Identifying and promoting measures to maximize the climate benefits of thoughtful land use practices — from the carefully targeted use of bioenergy to smarter and more comprehensive forest management.
- Decarbonized Fossil Energy: Developing and advocating for policies to make carbon-capture technologies cost competitive with unabated fossil fuel power generation and for use in the industrial sector, globally.
- Advanced Nuclear Energy: Making nuclear energy a viable option for decarbonizing the world energy system, at the needed scale and speed, by catalyzing private sector and government activity to lower the cost and accelerate deployment of current and emerging advanced nuclear technology.
- Advanced Energy Systems: Bringing analysis to bear on the question of what technologies will be required to achieve an affordable, zero-carbon energy system by mid-century and catalyzing private sector activity and public policy to forge real options from those technologies.

At CATF, we are non-traditional environmentalists. Our diverse team of policy experts, scientists, lawyers, and communication specialists are known for the following capabilities:
-Policy Development & Advocacy: CATF develops and advocates for policies that regulate climate- and health-damaging emissions both in the U.S. and internationally, as well as policies and incentives that drive low-emission energy technology deployment.
- Rulemaking, Litigation & Legislation: CATF represents non-profit clients in court cases, arguing in support of regulations that reduce pollution and protect the climate. CATF has a long history of legal and policy research, strategy, and technical record building which have resulted in many successful efforts to enact regulations and defend them from attempts to weaken or repeal.
- Commercial Assessment & Support: CATF scopes new and emerging low-emission energy technologies and evaluates their potential to scale to climate impact levels. We conduct extensive research and modelling to understand the factors that impact deployment, including cost, market ecosystem barriers, and business models. CATF works directly with low-emission energy companies on their business models and strategies and catalyzes business-to-business partnerships and information sharing through workshops and site tours. Where possible, CATF organizes advocacy efforts with private sector and NGO partners to advance incentives and regulations to speed deployment of low-emission energy technologies.
- Education & Outreach: CATF builds awareness of the health and climate impacts of pollution from power plants, oil and gas production, bioenergy, and other sources. We educate stakeholders on the need for a broad portfolio of scalable, low-emission energy solutions to reach climate mitigation goals.
- Collaboration: CATF plays a catalytic role in forming many coalitions and campaigns leading to many crucial policy enactments.
- Research & Analysis: CATF staff, often in partnership with other leading experts, conduct extensive research into emission impacts, emission reduction opportunities, economic feasibility of energy technologies, and on potential decarbonization pathways in order to develop the fact-based, realistic strategies that drive our work.

Accomplishments:
- Founded and led the U.S. campaign vs. dirty coal plant emissions, helped deliver power plant emissions reductions in pollution-causing smog and soot of more than 70%, and more than 90% of mercury, as well as significant reduction in other air toxic emissions.
- Founded and led a successful national campaign highlighting disease and early death from diesel engines, resulting in policies to retire, replace or upgrade engines with emission controls to meet modern emission standards.
- Helped enact “clean energy standards” in several states requiring utilities to meet 100% carbon-free electricity by mid-century.
- Mobilized NGOs and the U.S. government to target climate-damaging methane emissions and led successful efforts to enact and later defend methane-reducing emission controls on oil and gas equipment.
- Provided several years of expert support which enabled Canada and Mexico to finalize comprehensive standards for methane from the oil and gas sector.
- First major NGO to mount and sustain a fact-driven critique of conventional biofuels. Educated key stakeholders on how overproduction of corn ethanol and soy biodiesel can worsen climate change and solidified global opposition to policies that subsidize their production.
- Led efforts by NGOs and U.S. government to promote technologies that capture and store fossil fuel carbon emissions, achieving a recent U.S. victory providing tax incentives to scale up the technology.
- Moved the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to modernize its licensing process to encourage innovative nuclear energy systems that could be safer and less costly.
- Initiated a successful campaign before the International Maritime Organization to reduce black carbon emissions from existing diesel engines and led an international coalition to curb soot emissions from marine shipping.

What’s Next:
- Enacting comprehensive state and federal requirements for US utilities to acquire 100% of their electricity generation from carbon-free sources.
- Creating a suite of US innovation policies to drive advanced low carbon energy into the market, including zero carbon liquid fuels, hydrogen, advanced geothermal energy, advanced nuclear energy and carbon capture.
- Defending existing regulations on coal power plant and oil and gas emissions from attempts to weaken or repeal.
- Leveraging success and lessons learned in North America to bring best practices for methane regulations to countries around the world.
- Limiting the overproduction of climate damaging biofuels through accurate accounting of life cycle emissions and ensuring policies accurately reflect their climate impact.
- Supporting further improvements in regulations and policies that govern advanced nuclear technologies in order to accelerate development and deployment.