Government will buy carbon removal from companies, starting small and growing big.
S. 5170 — Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act of 2026 · Filed by Christopher Coons (D-DE) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jul 29, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The Department of Energy must buy machines that pull carbon dioxide from the air and ocean. It starts by removing 50,000 metric tons per year in 2026 and 2027. By 2036, it grows to 10 million metric tons per year. The government will pay companies to do this work. Prices drop from $750 per ton to $150 per ton by 2037. Companies must hire workers and help small businesses. They must also help communities that depend on coal and oil jobs.
Who it affects
Carbon removal companies will get paid to remove CO₂. Small businesses, minority-owned businesses, and women-owned businesses can bid for work. Workers in coal and oil regions may get new jobs.
One thing to notice
The government will only buy carbon removal if the price stays below a set amount each year. If the price goes too high, the government can skip buying that year.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.
- Jul 29, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jul 29, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- metric tons — A way to measure weight. One metric ton equals 1,000 kilograms.
- Department of Energy — The federal agency that handles energy and climate technology.
- minority-owned businesses — Companies run by people from groups that have faced unfair treatment.
- women-owned businesses — Companies owned and run by women.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (13,608 characters) on Aug 12, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-23.
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