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CARB grant pilot for carbon dioxide removal wins committee approval despite opposition over risks
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Summary
SB 643 would establish a CARB-administered $50 million competitive grant program to accelerate carbon dioxide removal demonstration projects in California; supporters called it necessary to meet state CDR targets while opponents urged caution and stronger safeguards.
Sen. Caballeros SB 643 would direct the California Air Resources Board to administer a competitive grant program of up to $50 million to support carbon dioxide removal (CDR) demonstration and deployment in California. The bill requires CARB to prioritize projects that accelerate scalable strategies, distribute grants across geographies and demonstrate community benefit plans.
Supporters including industry developers and CDR advocacy organizations said Californias scoping plan identifies CDR as essential to meeting net-zero goals and argued the state must seed demonstration projects and standards so private capital follows. Witnesses said some promising projects and companies are already present in California and that demonstration dollars would produce data to reduce cost and show safety at scale.
Opponents including the Center for Biological Diversity, Biofuel Watch and other environmental groups said the bill risked authorizing unproven, risky technologies (including biomass-based approaches and marine geoengineering) and urged the state to fund verification and research rather than deployment. They warned that some engineered approaches could add emissions or harm ecosystems without strong guardrails.
Committee action: After hearing support and opposition testimony the committee moved SB 643 to Appropriations as amended; authors and opponents signaled interest in continued negotiation on eligible technologies and community and environmental safeguards.
Ending: The committee advanced SB 643, and stakeholders requested that CARB and the author specify eligibility criteria and measurement protocols to ensure projects meet high-quality CDR standards.
