The guy selling both California and Trump on carbon removal

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on POLITICO or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Vikrum Aiyer, head of global public policy at direct air capture firm Heirloom Carbon, told POLITICO that last week's UN overshoot report creates an opening for California to expand carbon removal
• He has been closely involved in the state's policy turn, including new carbon capture incentives in the Air Resources Board's cap-and-invest overhaul, with storage permitting rules now being drafted

🔭 The context: Aiyer argues Brussels, the UK, Canada and Japan are ahead through industrial policy tied to energy security
• He asserted that California is not on track for its statutory 2045 net-zero mandate
• Heirloom operates a plant near Tracy and is developing a Louisiana project, for which the Department of Energy retained eligibility for up to $600 million after an 18-month review, a contract Aiyer says is not yet closed

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The UN report finds warming will exceed 1.5°C without removal technology, but POLITICO notes the approach remains expensive, unproven at scale and contested among environmental groups
• Aiyer concedes real tensions with frontline communities and argues guardrails must be built in rather than traded off against deployment

⏭️ What's next: CARB is writing carbon storage permitting rules
• Aiyer contends the AI boom strengthens rather than weakens the case, since buyers recalibrating removal purchases still face rising power demand alongside climate commitments

💬 One quote: "The buyers may be recalibrating how they think about purchases of removals, but the underlying challenge is actually getting bigger" — Vikrum Aiyer, head of global public policy, Heirloom Carbon

📈 One stat: Up to $600 million in DOE funding eligibility retained for Heirloom's Louisiana project.

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