CO₂ pipelines face opposition
Red tape stifles US carbon pipeline ambitions
Federal and state funding for CO₂ pipeline projects to spur the development of CCUS is meaningless if obstructive regulation prevents projects from getting off the ground
The US may already host by far the largest system of CO₂ pipelines in the world, but developers face an uphill struggle to get new projects off the ground. The uncertain and obstructive regulatory landscape that led to the demise ten months ago of Heartland Greenway, which had been one of the country’s largest planned CO₂ pipeline networks, has seen little improvement since. On top of the excess red tape, developers are contending with opposition to CCUS from both sides of the political aisle, the thorny issue of private land rights and safety fears among the public. “What we have now is an administration that wants to give all this funding away for infrastructure development, but at t
Also in this section
2 January 2026
This year may be a defining one for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in the US, despite the institutional uncertainty
23 December 2025
Legislative reform in Germany sets the stage for commercial carbon capture and transport at a national level, while the UK has already seen financial close on major CCS clusters
15 December 2025
Net zero is not the problem for the UK’s power system. The real issue is with an outdated market design in desperate need of modernisation
28 November 2025
The launch of the bloc’s emissions trading system in 2005 was a pioneering step, but as the scheme hits 21 its impact as a driver of decarbonisation is still open to debate
