PORTLAND—Today, more than two dozen leading Oregon environmental groups sent a letter to Senator Ron Wyden, ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, urging him to push for an end to the 45Q tax credit. The 45Q tax credit, used for carbon capture and storage (CCS), is almost exclusively claimed by fossil fuel companies that use the captured carbon primarily to produce more oil and gas. The letter, led by Food and Water Watch, lays out the case against carbon capture tax credits and subsidies, including taxpayer dollars going to profitable corporations, the risks it poses to local communities that have pipelines running through them, and threats the storage process poses to clean drinking water. 

“Repealing 45Q and other CCS subsidies aligns with bipartisan values. For those on the right, the waste of taxpayer money on a failing industry contradicts principles of fiscal conservatism and efficient governance. The widespread fraud in the 45Q program underscores the need for tighter fiscal oversight and accountability,” the letter reads. “For those on the left, the risks to public safety, drinking water, and local communities highlight the urgency of ending support for CCS. The industry disproportionately burdens rural and vulnerable communities, exacerbating existing inequalities. Protecting these communities from avoidable harm should be a priority for all members of Congress. CCS claims to deliver greenhouse gas emissions reduction, but consistently fails to do so, in spite of massive public subsidies.” 

“Oregonians want – and need – a clean energy future that prioritizes our public safety and health,” said Tarah Heinzen, Food & Water Watch Legal Director. “And with the growing costs of climate change, we need that future now. However, technologies like CCS are not the answer. CCS is expensive, unreliable and wasteful, and won’t get Oregon closer to its climate goals. We call on Senator Wyden to listen to the Oregonians and groups signed onto this letter and end the subsidies that prop up this unsustainable technology.” 

Expanded as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, 45Q is expected to cost almost $30 billion over the next decade. Critically, the credit rewards operators for every ton of carbon captured, rather than absolute emissions reductions, creating a financial incentive for carbon production. 

Signers of the letter included: 

Food & Water Watch
Assemble US
Oil Change International
Biomass Working Group, PNW Forest Climate Alliance
Cascadia Climate Action Now
Central/Eastern Oregon Bitterbrush Broadband
Climate Action Families
Columbia Riverkeeper
Earth Neighborhood Productions
Linnton Neighborhood Association
Rogue Climate
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
Tank the Tanks
UUFCO Environmental Justice
Vocal Seniority
Wood Smoke Free PDX
350 Deschutes
350 Eugene
350 PDX
350 Salem OR