Coordination on US Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) Research Strategies

[Nick Cohn]

The below opportunity may be of interest to a subset of the nearshore processes/coastal engineering community, including academic, government, and industry colleagues working on enhanced weathering processes and carbon sequestration in coastal seas (relevant example: nearshore and marsh-based olivine sediment placement). If you have any questions on the US federal interagency MCDR-FTAC (which includes NOAA, BOEM, DOE, NIST, USGS, Army/USACE, Navy, NSF, EPA, NASA, and other federal agencies with active research and/or permitting roles in marine carbon dioxide removal) or these community engagement sessions listed below, please reach out.
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Dear interested parties,

The White House National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Fast-Track Action Committee (MCDR–FTAC) invites all interested parties to a series of listening sessions to inform the development of an implementation plan regarding marine carbon dioxide removal (MCDR) research in the United States.  

The listening sessions will give an introduction to the MCDR-FTAC and provide an opportunity for interested parties to provide input. The sessions will be organized around three themes: 1) Permitting, regulatory, and other standards and policies, 2) Developing a comprehensive federal MCDR research program, and 3) Mechanisms to enable public awareness and engagement. You may attend as many sessions as you wish.

The sessions are as follows:

Theme 1: Permitting, regulatory, and other standards and policies. The FTAC seeks feedback on how the U.S. government intends to apply relevant domestic and international frameworks to regulating MCDR research, including field tests in the ocean.
March 19th, 12:30 – 2:30 EST
Registration:  https://pitc.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdeyopjkqHWVAQLMcMg0Yej0K6Jyednk

Theme 2: Comprehensive Federal MCDR research program. The FTAC seeks feedback on a Federal research program that will accelerate the development of the knowledge needed to understand the effectiveness and safety of MCDR approaches.
March 26th, 12:30 – 2:30 EST
Registration: https://pitc.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItf-6orzgpGHu6D2PnoHlx00k8wjg5Hvk

Theme 3: Mechanisms to enable public awareness and public-private cooperation. The FTAC seeks feedback on how to enable public engagement in MCDR research and how to promote cooperation between the Federal government and non-Federal parties on MCDR research, including field tests.
April 9th, 12:30 – 2:30 EST
Registration: https://pitc.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscu2oqj8sH9ir171uayKrJ75F4H6VdUM

If you plan to attend, please register using the links above. Zoom room information will be provided to those that RSVP. Please note that, depending on session attendance, public comments may be limited to 3 minutes per person (subject to further notice). For more information regarding the MCDR and the scope of the MCDR-FTAC, please see the Federal Register Notice at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/02/23/2024-03758/marine-carbon-dioxide-removal-research-plan. In addition to attending the listening sessions, you may also submit input there.
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Nicholas Cohn, PhD (he/him)
Research Oceanographer
Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory
US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Email: nichola...@usace.army.mil / nichola...@erdc.dren.mil