Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Research Plan, 13755-13757 [2024-03758]

Agencies

• NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 37 (Friday, February 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13755-13757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03758]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Research Plan

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of request for information.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF), on behalf of the White 
House National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Marine Carbon 
Dioxide Removal Fast-Track Action Committee (MCDR-FTAC), requests input 
from all interested parties to inform the development of an 
implementation plan to advance a key recommendation of the Ocean 
Climate Action Plan (OCAP) regarding marine carbon dioxide removal 
(CDR) research. Marine CDR refers to efforts to increase the amount of 
atmospheric carbon dioxide taken up by the ocean, adding to the large, 
natural ocean carbon reservoir. The deployment of safe and effective 
CDR approaches is increasingly regarded in scientific assessments as 
necessary in the near future to meet climate goals. The implementation 
plan, hereafter referred to as the Marine CDR Plan, will advance three 
actions to enable marine CDR research that are called for in the Ocean 
Climate Action Plan: establish a comprehensive Federal marine CDR 
research program; clarify permitting, regulatory, and other standards 
and policies, and establish guidelines for marine CDR research; and

[[Page 13756]]

establish a Marine CDR Initiative to enable public-private partnerships 
and establish mechanisms to strengthen interagency coordination and 
promote public awareness and engagement. Through this Request for 
Information (RFI), the MCDR-FTAC seeks input on each element of the 
Marine CDR Plan.

DATES: Responses are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 23, 2024. 
Submissions received after the deadline may not be taken into 
consideration.

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and organizations should submit 
comments electronically to [email protected] and include 
``Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Research Plan'' in the subject line of 
the email. Email submissions should be machine-readable (PDF, Word) and 
should not be locked or password protected.
    Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or 
organization is requested to submit only one response. Commenters can 
respond to one or many questions. Submissions are suggested to not 
exceed a total of five (5) pages in 12 point or larger font. 
Submissions should clearly indicate which questions are being 
addressed. Responses should include the name of the person(s) or 
organization(s) filing the response. Responses containing references, 
studies, research, and other empirical data that are not widely 
published should include copies of or electronic links to the 
referenced materials. Responses containing profanity, vulgarity, 
threats, or other inappropriate language or content will not be 
considered.
    Please note that MCDR-FTAC agencies may post responses to this RFI, 
without change, on their websites. NSF, therefore, requests that no 
business proprietary information, copyrighted information, or 
personally identifiable information be submitted in response to this 
RFI. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for response 
preparation, or for the use of any information contained in the 
response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please 
contact: Tricia Light, Office of Science & Technology Policy. Phone 
(202) 881-7242; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Climate change is an existential threat that is causing rising sea 
levels, melting glaciers and record-setting temperatures, as well as 
more extreme events, like severe flooding, heatwaves, serious droughts, 
costly storms, and widespread wildfires. The emissions of carbon 
dioxide that contribute to climate change are also acidifying the 
ocean. Rapid and deep reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions are 
essential to avoid potentially catastrophic consequences. However, 
reducing emissions alone may not be enough. Carbon dioxide emitted over 
the last 170 years has accumulated in the atmosphere to such an extent 
that ``large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR)'' 
approaches will also be needed to keep warming below 1.5 [deg]C.\1\ CDR 
is the process by which carbon dioxide is removed and stored away from 
the atmosphere. Potential CDR approaches include altering land 
management practices to increase carbon in soils and forests, coupling 
bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration technologies, and a 
range of possible ocean-based approaches, including accelerating 
weathering to increase the flow into the sea of naturally occurring 
carbon dioxide-absorbing minerals and fertilizing certain regions of 
the ocean with iron to stimulate the growth of marine organisms that 
consume carbon.\2\
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    \1\ IPCC, 2018: Summary for Policymakers. In: Global Warming of 
1.5 [deg]C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming 
of 1.5 [deg]C above pre-industrial levels and related global 
greenhouse has emission pathways, in the context of strengthening 
the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable 
development, and efforts to eradicate poverty [Masson-Delmotte, V., 
P. Zhai, H.-O. P[ouml]rtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. 
Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. P[eacute]an, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, 
J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. 
Maycock, M. Tignor, and T. Waterfield (eds.)]. Cambridge University 
Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 3-24. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157940.001
    \2\ National Research Council. 2015. Climate Intervention: 
Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration. Washington, DC: 
The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/18805.
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    The United States Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP) \3\ recognizes 
the ocean as a powerful tool to address the climate crisis. The ocean 
is one of the largest natural reservoirs of carbon on Earth. It already 
removes much of the carbon dioxide that people produce, and it may have 
the potential to do much more.\4\ It may be possible through marine CDR 
approaches to safely enhance the natural capacity of the ocean to 
absorb carbon dioxide through a variety of physical, geochemical, and 
biological processes. Some of these approaches may even have other 
beneficial effects, such as locally reducing ocean acidity, which is 
also caused by carbon dioxide emissions. A variety of potential marine 
CDR approaches are now under active investigation by Federal agencies, 
academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations. As of yet, 
however, no marine CDR methods are considered ready for full-scale 
deployment or commercial application. Significant questions remain, 
including how well marine CDR approaches will work and for how long, 
how much they will cost, and what other impacts--beneficial or 
adverse--they may have.\4\ The OCAP calls for a substantial ramp up in 
marine CDR research investments to answer these questions and ensure 
that necessary field tests are appropriately regulated. In response, 
the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), a Cabinet-level 
council and the principal means for the President to coordinate science 
and technology policies across the Federal Government (Executive Order 
12881),\5\ established the Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Fast Track 
Action Committee (MCDR-FTAC).\6\ The MCDR-FTAC provides guidance and 
direction to the NSTC through the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 
Technology (SOST) regarding marine CDR research and policy.
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    \3\ Ocean Climate Action Plan (2023), https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf.
    \4\ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 
(2022). A Research Strategy for Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal 
and Sequestration. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26278.
    \5\ Executive Order 12881: Establishment of the National Science 
and Technology Council (1993), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/WCPD-1993-11-29/pdf/WCPD-1993-11-29-Pg2450.pdf.
    \6\ Charter of the Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Fast-Track 
Action Committee (2023), https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/mCDR_FTAC_charter_2023_09_19_approved.pdf.
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    To advance the marine CDR objectives of the OCAP, the MCDR-FTAC 
will develop a National Marine CDR Plan that will--
     Establish a comprehensive Federal marine CDR research 
program. The Marine CDR Plan will establish a comprehensive Federal 
marine CDR research program to accelerate the development of knowledge 
needed to determine: (1) the climate-mitigation potential of marine CDR 
approaches, including their efficacy, permanence, scalability, energy 
and other resource demands, and costs; (2) the ability of marine CDR 
approaches to provide co-benefits, such as mitigating ocean acidity; 
and (3) the potential for marine CDR to have adverse impacts on the 
marine environment, human health and communities, and other uses of the 
sea. The research program will build on available recommendations, such 
as those of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and 
Medicine, and include research in the natural, engineering, and social 
sciences. It will encompass theoretical, modeling, and

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laboratory studies, and include at-scale tests in the field, ensuring 
that ocean observations are robust, sustained, and verifiable. The 
research program will support the effective regulation of marine CDR 
and inform decisions about the possible deployment and commercial 
application of marine CDR approaches in the future. It will identify 
the most urgent research priorities for Federal support and take into 
account related efforts by academia, industry, philanthropy, non-
governmental organizations, and other governments.
     Clarify permitting, regulatory, and other standards and 
policies, and establish guidelines for marine CDR research. The Marine 
CDR Plan will identify relevant domestic and international regulatory 
frameworks and clarify how they apply to marine CDR research, including 
at-scale tests in the field. The guidelines will identify 
considerations for measuring, monitoring, reporting, and verifying 
(MMRV) marine CDR to support permitting and regulation and the 
development of standards for carbon accounting. The Marine CDR Plan 
will also identify any critical gaps in knowledge and capabilities 
necessary to effectively regulate marine CDR.
     Establish a Marine CDR Initiative to enable public-private 
partnerships and establish mechanisms to strengthen interagency 
coordination and promote public awareness and engagement. The Marine 
CDR Plan will establish a mechanism or mechanisms to: (1) strengthen 
the ability of Departments and Agencies across the Federal Government 
to collaborate on marine CDR research and regulation; (2) facilitate 
information sharing and stakeholder engagement, including with 
Indigenous communities and communities that may be affected by marine 
CDR; and (3) enable partnerships between the Federal Government and 
academia, industry, philanthropy, non-governmental organizations and 
other governments, including to fund research jointly, such as through 
a Marine CDR Initiative.
    In developing these three actions in the Marine CDR Plan, the MCDR-
FTAC will seek to harmonize and streamline existing Federal research 
efforts, the regulatory process, and public engagement and partnerships 
for marine CDR.

Questions To Inform Development of the Strategy

    You may provide information for one or as many topics below as you 
choose. Clearly indicate in your submission which questions are being 
addressed. The MCDR-FTAC is seeking input from the public on the 
following:
    1. How would a Marine CDR Plan affect you, your organization, or 
your community?
    2. What questions or concerns do you have about the regulation of 
marine CDR, including marine CDR research? What tools or resources 
should the Federal Government provide to support the safety and 
effectiveness of marine CDR research, including testing at scale in the 
field? What knowledge exists, and what additional knowledge is needed 
to inform the safe and effective regulation of marine CDR research? 
What knowledge exists and what additional knowledge will be needed to 
inform decisions about the readiness of any marine CDR approach for 
full-scale deployment or commercial application?
    3. Which marine CDR techniques or what aspects of marine CDR do you 
believe the Federal Government should prioritize for research? Are 
there particular marine CDR approaches that you believe are especially 
promising with regard to climate change mitigation, ocean 
acidification, or other benefits? Are there particular marine CDR 
approaches that you believe are particularly more or less risky with 
regard to the environment, public health and communities, or other uses 
of the sea?
    4. What kinds of information about marine CDR would be most helpful 
for the Federal Government to make available to the public, research 
community, and other stakeholders? How should the government engage 
marine CDR stakeholders and the public, including Indigenous 
communities and communities that may be affected by marine CDR?
    5. What are the most significant marine CDR efforts being 
undertaken by academia, industry, philanthropy, non-governmental 
organizations, and other governments that the Federal Government should 
be aware of? What factors should the Federal Government take into 
account when considering potential partnerships between these entities 
and the Federal Government? What are the biggest challenges that the 
Federal Government and potential partners may face in collaborating, 
and how could the Federal Government help overcome these challenges? 
What examples of partnerships are most relevant to potential marine CDR 
partnerships?
    6. What else would you like the Federal Government to consider as 
it develops a Marine CDR Plan?

    Dated: February 20, 2024.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024-03758 Filed 2-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P