ISTC Webinar: Analysis of the 45Q Tax Credits for Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage, Dr. Ben Leibowicz

Short Biosketch: Dr. Benjamin D. Leibowicz is an Associate Professor and the Banks McLaurin Fellow in Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, where his primary appointment is in the Operations Research and Industrial Engineering graduate program.

Dr. Leibowicz uses methods from operations research, systems analysis, and economics to improve decision-making in the energy, natural resources, and the environment domain. Specific application areas that he currently focuses on include energy and environmental policy analysis, energy markets, electricity reliability and resilience, energy sector planning, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

Dr. Leibowicz has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and is the current President of the INFORMS Section on Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment. Prior to joining UT Austin, Dr. Leibowicz received both PhD and MS degrees in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, and earned a BA in Physics with a minor in Economics from Harvard University.

Abstract: The U.S. federal government subsidizes carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects through its 45Q tax credits, which have distinct features compared to other pollution control policies.

In this webinar, Dr. Leibowicz will summarize key findings from three of his papers that employ operations research and economics to critically analyze the 45Q policy design. First, Dr. Leibowicz will share high-level insights into the advantages and potential negative side effects of the 45Q approach.

Then, he will present a theoretical study of the net carbon dioxide emissions impact of CCUS tax credits, including the possibility that they could actually increase emissions relative to the laissez-faire scenario.

Third, Dr. Leibowicz will provide an overview of computational research to optimize the designs of CCUS infrastructure networks under policy uncertainty, with results that shed light on how policy risk affects CCUS deployment.