June 26, 2026
Tell Congress: Big Oil’s Carbon Capture Plan Is a Trap
Carbon capture and storage is one of Big Oil’s favorite talking points — and one of its most dangerous delay tactics.
For decades, fossil fuel companies have claimed they can keep drilling, burning, and polluting if they simply capture the carbon afterward and bury it underground. But the evidence is clear: carbon capture and storage has failed to deliver at the scale the climate crisis demands, and continuing to subsidize it will only prolong our dependence on fossil fuels.
A ProPublica investigation, with additional reporting by Drilled, found that carbon capture and storage has been wildly oversold by its boosters, even as real-world deployment has fallen far short of industry promises.
And the scale required is staggering: according to research cited by ProPublica, reaching climate targets could require storing 6 billion tons of CO2 underground every year by mid-century — a buildout that would demand enormous land use, tens of thousands of miles of new pipelines, thousands of storage sites, decades of monitoring, and potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in annual subsidies.
That is not a climate solution. It is a lifeline for the fossil fuel industry.
Meanwhile, proven clean energy solutions like solar power are ready right now. Instead of gambling on expensive, risky projects that allow polluters to keep polluting, Congress should invest in real solutions that cut emissions at the source, protect communities, and speed the transition away from fossil fuels.
Every dollar wasted on carbon capture and storage giveaways is a dollar that could be used to build real clean energy, lower pollution, and protect families from climate disasters.
We call on Congress to end federal subsidies and tax giveaways for fossil fuel carbon capture and storage projects, reject new oil and gas expansion justified by carbon capture promises, strengthen oversight of existing projects, and invest public funds in real climate solutions that reduce emissions now.
Thank you for all that you do,
Mitch w/ Tipping Point
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