**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

October 27, 2023 

CONTACT: Emilia Rowland, Emilia.Rowland@mail.house.gov

Congresswoman Summer Lee Announces University of Pittsburgh Will Receive $2.27M to Help Accelerate Development of Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal

(Pittsburgh, PA) — Today, Congresswoman Lee announced that the University of Pittsburgh will receive $2,274,859 to develop buoy-based optical fiber sensors for measuring pH and carbon dioxide in seawater from the ocean’s surface to the seafloor.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) chose the University of Pittsburgh alongside 10 other projects across 7 other states to accelerate the development of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) capture and storage technologies. Funded through DOE’s Sensing Exports of Anthropogenic Carbon through Ocean Observation (SEA-CO2) program, these projects will support novel efforts to measure, report, and validate mCDR and identify cost-effective and energy efficient carbon removal solutions.

Congresswoman Lee said, “I’m honored to deliver this big win to the University of Pittsburgh. This funding underscores our commitment to creating solutions to fight back against climate change. By embracing the ocean’s natural carbon removal abilities, we’re not only advancing scientific innovation but also paving a sustainable path for future generations. I’m incredibly proud that our city is at the forefront of such a transformative initiative. The collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy solidifies the importance of our region in national environmental efforts. These advancements in marine carbon dioxide removal are not just steps, but leaps towards a cleaner and more resilient planet. Pittsburgh continues to demonstrate its role as a leader in creating solutions today that will result in a cleaner tomorrow.”

“Reaching President Biden’s ambitious decarbonization goals and avoiding the worst impacts of climate change will require a wide range of innovative climate solutions, from common-sense approaches like improving energy efficiency to novel applications like utilizing the ocean’s natural carbon removal abilities to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from the atmosphere,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “With critical funding from DOE, project teams from across the country will develop groundbreaking new technologies to cut emissions that will help combat the climate crisis while reinforcing America’s global leadership in the clean energy industries of the future.”

mCDR techniques take advantage of the ocean’s natural carbon capture and storage processes and, together with other carbon dioxide removal methods, have the potential to mitigate and remove hundreds of millions of tons of harmful carbon dioxide emissions per year. mCDR takes place across large surfaces or volumes of the ocean over comparatively long periods of time. The SEA-CO2 program recognizes that scalable, cost-effective technologies to measure, report, and validate various mCDR approaches are critical to developing this growing industry and supporting President Biden’s clean energy and climate goals. 

Managed by DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the teams announced today—including small and large businesses, national labs, and universities—will play a critical role in creating new and appropriately scaled sensors and models that will quantify the effectiveness of mCDR techniques.

More information and complete project descriptions for the teams can be found on the ARPA-E website.

Since taking office in January, Lee, who serves on the House Oversight Committee and Space, Science and Technology Committee, has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $870 million brought back to Western PA, including over $200 million for infrastructure, over $50 million for affordable transit, and over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 1,330 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.

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