Carrie Danner joined the Great Plains Institute in 2023 and serves as the operations coordinator for the Industrial Innovation and Carbon Management team. In her work, she supports all projects within the program to elevate operations, particularly in grant-making and event planning. Carrie earned a bachelor’s degree from Knox College in environmental studies. Prior to joining GPI, she supported programs at the Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa as their member experience administrator.
Author: Kate Sullivan
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Initiative Responds to DOE’s RFI on Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
In the summer of 2026, the Industrial Innovation Initiative convened its members for a working group on trade, including developing a response to a Request for Information from the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory on the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU CBAM). EU CBAM underscores the importance of data, carbon accounting,…
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FY27 Appropriations: Support for Critical Industrial Modernization Funding through the US DOE
The Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3) sent a letter to the United States (US) Senate Appropriations Committee and the US Senate Energy and Water Development Subcommittee to express support for critical industrial modernization funding through the US Department of Energy (DOE) as the FY27 appropriations process continues, stating the value of the DOE’s broader portfolio of…
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RISE and shine, industrial innovation in Pennsylvania
The great American gateway state announces historic investments in industrial innovation efforts through the RISE PA program. The RISE PA team opened a second round of applications for medium- and large-award track projects from May 15th through July 15th, 2026. For well over two centuries, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been an industrial leader in…
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Industrial boilers: Modernization through a workforce lens
What powers a significant portion of America’s industrial base, yet goes unnoticed by most people? Meet the industrial boiler. Industrial boilers operate quietly across different types of facilities, supplying the heat that keeps many industrial processes running day after day. They are rarely visible to the public but deeply embedded in the systems that support…
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Clinker: How Changing One Ingredient Can Have a Big Impact
Clinker, produced by heating a limestone mixture to over 2,500 degrees, is the essential ingredient in cement, which is the primary ingredient in concrete, the world’s most human-made material. Traditional clinker production generates 90 percent of the emissions associated with cement. Below are a few examples of ways to address this challenge. Reducing or replacing…
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How States Can Transform Cement and Concrete Production
Cement and concrete are foundational to our modern world. They are also a significant source of carbon emissions. Cement, the key ingredient in concrete, makes up about seven to eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third-largest source of emissions behind China and the…
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Event Recap: GCCA Circular Cities Policy Summit
Author: Alana Hadland, I3 Program Associate I recently attended the Global Cement and Concrete Association’s Circular Cities Policy Summit in Mexico City. The event brought together global leaders and stakeholders from the cement and concrete industry, academia, non-profits, and more to showcase circularity and policy partnership. Concrete is the most widely used human-made material on…
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Industrial Innovation Initiative Sends Welcome Letter to new Members of the 119th US Congress
The Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3) sent welcome letters to the new Members of the United States 119th Congress. The letter introduced the Initiative, highlighted our nonpartisan, consensus-based priorities, and conveyed our interest in future opportunities to discuss policies that strengthen American energy security and manufacturing leadership.
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Industrial Innovation Initiative Leads Multi-Coalition Sign-On Letter in Support of American Industry
The Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3) played a leading role in mobilizing support for a multi-coalition sign-on letter in support of the 48C Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit and the Department of Energy’s Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP). I3 staff extend a thank you to the following organizations for their partnership. The signatories on this letter collectively…
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48C Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit
A recap, update, and next steps for a $10 billion investment On January 10, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service announced six billion in allocations in the second round of the 48C Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit, a 30 percent investment tax credit. The 48C program, originally established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act…
