2025 Carbon Management Innovation Showcase Recap
The 12th annual CleanTech Innovation Showcase highlighted Washington State’s promising landscape for carbon management with a series of talks painting the full picture of carbon management in Washington.
The conference opened with a Geology 101 presentation, The State of Geologic Carbon Sequestration in the PNW: Subsurface Opportunities and Surface Obstacles, from Will Gallin, Subsurface Program Manager, Washington Geological Survey, and Jason D. McClaughry, R.G., Geological Survey and Services Program Manager, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. Will and Jason discussed the unique possibilities for carbon sequestration in basalt in the PNW. Will shared the statuses of carbon sequestration projects around the PNW, slide 5. Will also discussed the state regulation readiness for subsurface geologic carbon sequestration and how the PNW earned a low score, but has strong opportunity for carbon sequestration. Both geologists shared how their respective states are maintaining momentum despite lost funding. Oregon specifically shared their state carbon sequestration testing project and their current community outreach initiatives, slide 8.
The Carbon Management Breakout Room Presentations followed. The list of speakers spanned a wide variety of CCUS and CDR tech, starting from types of capture and removal all the way through sequestration and utilization. Featured speakers and their presentations included:
- Annika Wallendahl, Principal Environmental Engineer, Geosyntec Consultants talked about carbon removal projects happening in CA and OR, sharing how to make these projects possible in WA.
- Mike Robinson, Director, PacCLEAN presented on greenhouse gas removal policies on the west coast and the basics of Carbon Dioxide Removal. He outlined that according to the IPCC Greenhouse Gas Removal is necessary to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C. He shared a Carbon Removal Policy tracker.
- Alex Gagnon, Co-Founder and CEO, Banyu Carbon discussed Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal and Washington State’s strong CDR opportunity due to our
- Permitted commission testing CDR (first in nation)
- Extensive marine sensor network
- Best in the world ocean research
- Shane Johnson, President & CEO, CarbonQuest talked about Carbon Capture and CarbonQuest’s tech.
- Todd Brix, CEO and Co-Founder, OCOchem discussed what to do with carbon dioxide once its been captured. He shared OCOchem’s utilization and how they turn CO2 into formate.
Key Resources:
- carbon sequestration readiness
- Open Standard Carbon Removal Agreement
- Why Washington One Pager
- CCUS and CDR Workforce Development One Pager
- RMI Report — The Benefits of Innovation: An Assessment of the Economic Opportunities of Highly Durable Carbon Dioxide Removal
- RMI Report – Carbon Capture and Storage Workforce Development State-by-State
- Socialization 101 Webinar
- Socialization Plan Outline Webinar
- Socialization Plan Template
- CCUS Roundtable – Why don’t we have carbon sequestration in WA State?
Carbon X Change
On Monday, May 19th, David Heldebrant (PNNL) presented to a room of University of Washington students and entrepeneurs on his latest CO2-to-product research. Christian Primack Metcalfe, a professor and former cleantech entrepreneur, moderated a panel of founders and leaders, Mansour Masoudi, founder and CEO of Emissol, and Sarah Whitaker, process engineer at Modern Hydrogen, who shared their entrepreneurial journeys.
Check Out Ross Kenyon’s Podcast “Reversing Climate Change” with Guest Makoto Eyre
Join host Ross Kenyon, voice behind Reversing Climate Change, as he interviews Makoto Eyre, founder of Homeostasis and chair of WECAN’s advisory board. In this episode, they explore how Homeostasis is pioneering a groundbreaking approach to carbon removal by converting captured CO₂ into graphite, a critical material for lithium-ion batteries. Learn how this tech could help meet America’s growing graphite demand while tackling climate change.
CCUS & CDR 101
Geosyntec Senior Principal Project Director Speaks at Energy Projects Conference & Expo in Houston
Photo: Lori Carter on right holding microphone
Source: Geosyntec Consultants
Geosyntec’s Lori Carter was a panelist on Developing a Midstream Sector Ready to Handle Hydrogen, Captured Carbon, and Lower-Carbon Gases at the Energy Projects Conference in Houston, Texas that occurred from June 11th to the 12th. The panel discussed how to modify existing midstream infrastructure—such as pipelines, storage facilities, and processing plants—to accommodate hydrogen, carbon, and lower-carbon gases, as well as how to assess a project’s economic viability and its safety and regulatory considerations.
WECAN Event Recording
What is CCUS?
The State of CCUS in 2025