By Carbon to Sea Initiative
The President recently signed into law H.R.6938, an appropriations bill for the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment agencies for the remainder of fiscal year 2026 (FY26), sending promising signals of bipartisan support for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (oCDR) research and development (R&D). The package of bills includes key funding for the Departments of Energy and Commerce, and key science agencies.
Commerce, Justice, Science Agencies:
- Not less than $500,000 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) to develop, test, and evaluate oCDR technologies with federal and industry partners;
- Up to $10M for NOAA to support R&D of multiple oCDR pathways through external grants and public-private partnerships;
- Supportive language encouraging the National Science Foundation (NSF), in collaboration with the Department of Energy (DOE), to support meritorious research into carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, including direct air capture (DAC), terrestrial and biological carbon removal, carbon mineralization, and oCDR; and,
- Supportive language for CDR research efforts at both the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Energy and Water Development Agencies:
- Not less than $45M for the Department of Energy to support the Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Purchase Pilot Prize — initiated under the fiscal year 23 funding bill — including not less than $4M for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV). For FY26, Congress recommends DOE prioritize no fewer than four different CDR technology pathways, emphasizing methods that minimize removal reversibility and maximize storage duration;
- Phase 1 semifinalists of the CDR Purchase Pilot Prize included four oCDR companies, making them eligible to participate in the down-select of further phases.
- Up to $71.5M for the DOE’s Office of Science for research, development, and demonstration of diverse CDR approaches. The package further included strong coordination language for the Office of Science to coordinate with the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (recently renamed to the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (recently renamed to the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office);
These investments signal promising bipartisan support for further investment in oCDR research, particularly through federal coordination among key research agencies. Looking ahead, Carbon to Sea is focused on building upon this bipartisan momentum for the fiscal year 2027 appropriations cycle.
Carbon to Sea is also submitting funding requests to key Congressional Members for continued support of oCDR research funding at NOAA and DOE as part of our third annual Hill Day, taking place in Washington, D.C. on March 18, 2026.
To read the full appropriations package, visit: LINK
