Industrial Decarbonization

Regulations, when effectively designed, can create demand signals for solutions that help users meet regulatory requirements. However, they can also stifle investments due to uncertainty, outdatedness, lack of transparency, and the significant time and resources required to comply.

In some situations, regulations that theoretically would help to advance a technology ultimately cause the technology to face headwinds that minimize competitiveness against existing solutions. We have extensive experience in Clean Air Act requirements, along with air permitting, market-based programs such as capandtrade, voluntary markets, clean energy standards, and more.

AJW supports our clients in understanding complex regulatory requirements and processes by providing:

• Policy Insights – Analyses of political considerations, program intersections, critical gaps, ambiguity, technical feasibility, and enforceability
• Engagement Strategies – Strategically crafted engagement and advocacy plans to address issues and propose solutions
• Regulatory Analysis – Evaluation of proposed and adopted regulatory language on business operations, and suggestions to minimize impacts
• Emissions Impacts – Spatial and data analyses to evaluate local impacts of technology options and implementation strategies

Over the past several years, federal, state, and local agencies have taken significant steps to ensure that regulatory and incentive programs directly benefit overburdened communities–those who have been most impacted by emissions and air pollution .

Individual program requirements for considering community benefits and environmental justice vary drastically. Some require additional public engagement, while others may mandate emissions controls beyond federal requirements. Additionally, the federal government has raised the bar on companies applying for federal funding, especially through the Inflation Reduction Act, by requiring the development of robust community benefits plans.

AJW guides our clients on how these programs impact their businesses, technology choices, and funding opportunities. We have helped identify opportunities to rapidly deploy new, clean technologies in disadvantaged communities. We are tracking the evolution of these programs, and community engagement best practices, which allows us to provide a wide range of services to our clients, including:

• Local Impacts Assessments – Conduct spatial analyses to quantify project benefits in and for overburdened communities
• Best Practices – Local engagement recommendations, including best practices to ensure genuine local participation
• Policy Considerations – Provide insights on local interests and regulatory drivers for projects located near or impacting disadvantaged communities
• Funding Identification & Grant Writing Support – Services to identify available funding, to expedite clean technology deployments and support for grant proposal development, including community benefits plans.

Energy and environmental markets are changing rapidly. In the U.S. alone, the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act has propelled government and private sector action and catapulted deployment of new projects.

Grants, tax credits, and other market mechanisms like the EU or UK Emissions Trading Systems or the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard, can help technology developers overcome regulatory barriers by injecting funds into a project to de-risk investments and further support project economics.

AJW helps our clients analyze the landscape of funding opportunities to support pragmatic business decisions and engages with government to develop alternatives when needed.

Services to our clients include:

• Assessment and optimization of available financial incentives and other opportunities across jurisdictions
• Market analyses, impact projections, and market entry strategy development
• Thought leadership, coalition building, and strategic communications
• Direct engagement and advocacy with decisionmakers
• Spatial and data analyses to evaluate funding opportunities