The Carbon Capture Mirage
If the Inflation Reduction Act isn't repealed, Europe's carbon capture utopia is doomed, and America will follow.
America was pushed into an energy crisis by the Biden regime, which allied with European bureaucrats to divert public funds to unproven carbon capture tech while blocking viable options. The Inflation Reduction Act's CCS subsidies are corporate handouts, raising energy costs for households. Europe's Net-Zero Industry Act imposes unrealistic CO₂ storage mandates. CCS is a costly illusion, eroding energy independence under the guise of climate action. Can America reverse the damage?
Carbon capture has been promoted as a climate solution for decades, yet no CCS project has achieved the capture rates that were promised. Most only achieve 80% or fail completely, despite boasts of 95% efficiency.
CCS has proven financially unsuccessful, from the In Salah project in Algeria to the Petra Nova facility in Texas. According to the IPCC, CCS will only reduce emissions by 2.4% by 2030. The push is about control, not the surroundings.
Under the auspices of the Net-Zero Industry Act promulgated by Brussels, a consortium of forty-four oil and gas enterprises is mandated to establish carbon dioxide storage infrastructure capable of sequestering fifty million metric tons annually by the year 2030. To achieve the formidable task of containing six point three five million tons, the Dutch entity Aardolie Maatschappij shall be compelled to allocate billions of dollars—funds that would otherwise be directed toward the vital endeavor of energy generation. Concurrently, the Romanian energy titan SNGN ROMGAZ bears the solemn responsibility of managing four point one two million tons, a duty of no small consequence in the grand tapestry of emissions mitigation.
By this decree, oil firms are ostensibly heralded as 'part of the solution,' as proclaimed by Kurt Vandenberghe, the EU's Director General for Climate Action. Yet, in truth, they remain shackled by the chains of a faltering ideology. European households already bear the crushing burden of the highest energy costs across the globe, and these newly imposed regulations shall only serve to exacerbate their plight.
The U.S. is speeding toward the same precipice. The 45Q tax credit was raised to $85/ton for CO₂ capture, exceeding Biden's 'social cost of carbon.' Direct air capture subsidies hit $180/ton, a wasteful use of public funds.
Even worse, these credits cannot be altered. Congress debates cutting solar and wind subsidies, but the 45Q program remains, funneling billions into an unproven sector. Treasury estimates funding this climate illusion will cost $25 billion over a decade, taken from American paychecks.
Every dollar that is squandered on CCS is money that might be used for more economical, dependable energy sources like clean coal, natural gas, or nuclear. While companies rely on taxpayer-funded giveaways, families are confronted with escalating utility rates.
America should learn from Europe's tragedy. The energy policies of the Biden administration are sabotage—dependency and control. Avoid the economic collapse of America by rejecting this carbon capture scam. Can Trump repair the harm?
