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Our Work in the U.S.

Climate and clean air advocacy for a decarbonized U.S.

Politicians U.S. Capitol

U.S. climate and clean air advocacy is rooted deep in CATF’s DNA.

With a 25-year history of policy, legal, and technology advocacy in the U.S., we drive results domestically while ensuring our achievements help spur progress around the world.

Our Efforts

Pushing for U.S. climate leadership that’s guided by science and built to last

Guided by science and focused on impact, CATF’s experts design and advocate for durable U.S. policies that enable scalable, effective climate solutions. We conduct cutting-edge research, forge strong coalitions, educate and influence key stakeholders, and help shepherd critical climate action through the legislative, regulatory, and judicial processes — as well as through commercial markets — from start to finish.

As the scope and scale of the climate crisis comes into sharp resolution, we are working to spur technology innovation, regulate emissions, and design and implement policy pathways to enable a net-zero emissions United States by 2050.

What We Do

A multi-pronged, integrated approach to driving U.S. climate action

Federal Policy

Clean Air Task Force’s U.S. federal policy efforts, based in Washington, D.C., focus on securing the policy and technology solutions necessary to promote clean air, support communities, and address human-caused climate change. We continue CATF’s 25-year tradition of following the science where it leads and developing flexible strategies to make progress in the unique and evolving U.S. political environment.

Learn more about our work in federal policy

State Policy

Enacting clean energy policies at the state level is an essential catalyst to more comprehensive action. State policies often produce more immediate results, and can foreshadow, facilitate, and, potentially, elevate later, all-inclusive federal programs. CATF has a growing state policy program, focused on advancing critical state policies like clean energy standards, zero-carbon fuel standards, and codifying net-zero emissions pledges into concrete plans for action.

Learn more about our work in state policy.

Implementation

Clean Air Task Force works to make sure federal, state, and local decision-makers are accountable for competent, efficient, and effective implementation of climate and clean energy policy, ensuring everyone in the U.S. benefits from historic climate investments. The actions we take over the next several years to implement laws like the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be critical to achieving the United States’ economic, environmental, and public health goals. 

Learn more about our work implementing clean energy policy

Technology Innovation

Clean Air Task Force works to enable the development, deployment, and commercialization of critical carbon-free technologies, including carbon capture, advanced nuclear energy, zero-carbon fuels, and superhot rock geothermal. We advocate for policies that push these technologies into the marketplace, collaborate with the private sector to encourage innovation, and conduct high-level research that reveals key challenges and showcases groundbreaking solutions.

Modeling & Analysis

CATF’s U.S. work is rooted in thorough research and analysis. With models and other analytic techniques, we draw on the power of logical inquiry, scenario development, and quantitative stress testing to examine challenges and reach informed conclusions that guide our objectives. Our modelling and analysis is primarily focused on fully decarbonizing the global economy by mid-century.

Legal Advocacy

Since its founding, CATF has relied on a tenacious team of nationally recognized legal experts who apply the principles of U.S. law to the fight for climate action, clean air protections, and the development of critical carbon-free technologies. Our legal team litigates clean power cases in U.S. courts, develops statutory language, issues comments on proposed regulations, and provides strategic, tactical, legal, and regulatory advice across the organization.

Learn more about our legal advocacy work.

Our Priorities

From pulling policy levers to regulate harmful pollution to pushing carbon-free technologies into the market, our U.S. work focuses on impact and innovation at scope and scale.

  • Methane Pollution Prevention: Catalyze deep, global reductions in methane emissions to help stave off the risk of irreversible changes to our climate. Learn more
  • Carbon Capture: Accelerate the adoption of carbon capture technologies to prevent CO₂ emissions from power generation and industrial sources. Learn more
  • Zero-Carbon Fuels: Collaborate with leaders from industry and other NGOs on research, development, and recommendations for zero-carbon fuels. Learn more
  • Superhot Rock Energy: Superhot rock geothermal energy is a visionary technology deserving of investment, and yet almost entirely unrecognized in the decarbonization debate. Learn more
  • Advanced Nuclear Energy: Create a global research and development, commercial, regulatory, and social ecosystem in which we can tap into the myriad carbon-free benefits of nuclear technology. Learn more

The latest in our U.S. work

CATF Affiliates

CATF Action is the 501(c)(4) affiliate of Clean Air Task Force.
CATF Action’s mission is to educate policymakers and build the political coalitions needed to secure the policies and technologies required to achieve a prosperous, zero-emissions world.