6 Community Acceptance and Engagement
6.1 Key factors influencing community acceptance of CCUS
Several factors influence community acceptance of CCUS projects and therefore
63Examples of technologies that have faced public opposition include genetically modified food crops, pesticides, nuclear energy technologies, and renewable energy technologies.
64S. Greenberg et al., Stakeholder Analysis Report Subtask 3.3 – CarbonSAFE Illinois East Sub-Basin Topical Report 8, (April 1, 2019).
65S. L. Seigo, S. Dohle, and M. Siegrist, “Public Perception of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): A Review,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 38 (2014): 848-863; P.
will likely be important in determining the course of CCUS development and
deployment.65
Knowledge and awareness
Generally, knowledge and awareness of CCUS can help communities make informed
decisions about projects, but recent studies show that the majority of Americans are unfamiliar with CCUS.66 Successful deployment could require developers, policymakers, or other organizations to provide information to communities as projects develop. Policymakers could help communicate the value of CCUS to public audiences by supporting education, public awareness campaigns, and other outreach efforts.
However, such efforts can benefit from careful planning and execution. The
information provided can be inconsistent or overly technical. This can lead to
misconceptions about or opposition to projects. In addition, providing information to communities does not always increase support. Rather, some communities may oppose CCUS more after certain information is provided. Near-term public opinion polling
Tcvetkov, A. Cherepovitsyn, and S. Fedoseev, “Public perception of carbon capture and storage: A state-of-the-art review,” Heliyon, vol. 5 (2019).
66S. Pianta, A. Rinscheid, and E. U. Weber, “Carbon Capture and Storage in the United States: Perceptions, Preferences, and Lessons for Policy,” Energy Policy, vol. 151 (2021): 112149; L.
Whitmarsh, D. Xenias, and C. R. Jones, “Framing Effects on Public Support for Carbon Capture and Storage,” Palgrave Communications, vol. 5 (2019).
in regions of interest for CCUS development could help gauge local priorities and concerns.
Perceived risks and benefits
Communities are more likely to support CCUS projects when developers provide clear and realistic descriptions of the potential risks and benefits of the projects, according to reports.
Individual communities and groups within the community will perceive the potential effects of CCUS differently. Developers and outreach coordinators may be better able to engage with communities if they understand how each community views the potential risks and benefits of CCUS.
Social science research studying this topic is ongoing. For example, studies show that people often consider perceived benefits (or perceived lack of benefits) to be more important than perceived risks when forming an opinion of CCUS, according to studies.67 In particular, communities may perceive local job creation, economic development, regional revitalization, and climate-change mitigation as potential benefits of CCUS (see text box).
Perceived risks may include CO2 leaks, safety risks, and environmental damage. Perceived risks and benefits do not necessarily reflect the realistic risks and benefits of CCUS projects and may instead reflect unaddressed misconceptions.68 Additional research could help assess broader public attitudes towards CCUS.
67Tcvetkov et al., “Public perception of carbon capture and storage” (2019); W. Leiss and P. Larkin, “Risk communication and public engagement in CCS projects: the foundations of public acceptability,” International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, vol. 22 (2019): 384-403.
Trust
Trust in CCUS project developers, regulators, and other stakeholders is another key
variable for acceptance. Prior projects suggest that a community’s level of trust that
developers and regulators will be honest, fair, and accountable may be more important than understanding technical information about a project. Further, information is more likely to be perceived as trustworthy and objective when it is endorsed by multiple sources.
Project developers are perceived as less trustworthy when they are not transparent about decision-making, intentions, and local risks. Trust can be difficult to rebuild after negative experiences between communities and CCUS project stakeholders, or between communities and other related industries.
68We did not assess the environmental or safety risks of CCUS projects because they are generally site and project
dependent.
Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and the workforce
One potential benefit of deploying CCUS is the creation of jobs within communities both for construction and operation of CCUS infrastructure. Generally, hundreds to thousands of workers are involved in constructing and retrofitting CCUS facilities. A 2020 analysis indicated that building and operating a 1 million metric ton direct air capture facility could generate roughly 3,500 jobs in fields such as engineering, construction, and materials manufacturing.a Fewer workers are needed to operate CCUS facilities than to build them; however, these jobs are long-lasting and high-paying. CCUS hiring could potentially provide employment to workers from the fossil fuel industry and provide existing industries the opportunity to continue contributing to local economies.
Investment in CCUS could generate up to 78,000 jobs related to CCUS facility retrofits by 2050 and an additional 53,000 jobs operating those retrofit facilities.
aJ. Larsen, W. Herndon, and G. Hiltbrand, Capturing New Jobs – The Employment Opportunities Associated with Scale-up of Direct Air Capture (DAC) Technology in the US (Rhodium Group, June 23, 2020).
Source: GAO analysis of non-governmental reports. | GAO-22-105274
The text box provides an example of how these three factors have contributed to opposition to CO2 pipelines in certain local communities.