Category: Blog

  • Building a Decarbonized Steel Sector

    Building a Decarbonized Steel Sector

    Steel is woven into every aspect of our lives. It is the backbone of iconic monuments and buildings as well as everyday objects like cars and cookware. We have used steel for nearly 4,000 years because of its durability and versatility. What starts as iron ore is refined, impurities are removed, and carbon is added…

  • What does ‘green’ procurement mean? Initiatives and standards for cement and steel

    What does ‘green’ procurement mean? Initiatives and standards for cement and steel

    Decarbonizing cement and steel production will be critical to achieving national and global climate goals, but it has been slower than in other sectors – like transportation and power – for several reasons. One prominent reason is the role of carbon dioxide (CO2)-emitting chemical processes in steel and cement production. Alongside entrenched manufacturing practices, slow…

  • Advancing the market for clean energy technologies and low-carbon products

    Advancing the market for clean energy technologies and low-carbon products

    The Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) at the United States Department of Energy has a crucial role to play in advancing the technology and market solutions needed to significantly decarbonize the industrial sector. The Industrial Innovation Initiative prepared a response to OCED’s recent request for information on the development of demand-side measures to advance the commercial scale-up…

  • How Hydrogen Hubs Will Support Jobs

    How Hydrogen Hubs Will Support Jobs

    Applications for the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) program are due today, April 7, marking the start of proposal review after months of activity at the state and regional levels. This fall, the US Department of Energy (DOE) will select six to 10 hydrogen hubs that will provide the connective tissue for a national clean…

  • Challenging But Possible: New IPCC Report Cites Industry as Key Player in Meeting Net-Zero Targets

    Challenging But Possible: New IPCC Report Cites Industry as Key Player in Meeting Net-Zero Targets

    Challenging But Possible: New IPCC Report Cites Industry as Key Player in Meeting Net-Zero Targets The Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3) released the following statement today regarding the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) installment of Assessment Report 6, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change Report from Working Group III. This statement may…

  • How States Can Lead on Industrial Decarbonization

    How States Can Lead on Industrial Decarbonization

    The United States has an unprecedented opportunity to take meaningful action on industrial decarbonization. Last year, Congress came together against all odds to pass a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that includes billions of dollars for state projects to limit carbon pollution from industrial facilities. The law’s passage, along with the recent Biden-Harris Administration announcement on actions…

  • Bipartisan Hydrogen Infrastructure Initiative Reintroduced

    Bipartisan Hydrogen Infrastructure Initiative Reintroduced

    March 2, 2023, Washington, DC – Today, Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced a package of four bills to support the adoption of hydrogen technologies in key end-use sectors, providing important demand-side support as the United States builds and scales its hydrogen economy. Read a summary of this package here. “Clean hydrogen…

  • Centering Industrial Solutions for States

    Centering Industrial Solutions for States

    In February 2023, the Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3) hosted an introductory webinar on industrial decarbonization for states, given the critical role they will play in reducing US industrial emissions. Supported by recent federal funding, namely from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, states are positioned to create a regulatory and policy landscape…

  • Biden Administration Announces Suite of Actions to Advance Industrial Decarbonization

    Biden Administration Announces Suite of Actions to Advance Industrial Decarbonization

    The Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3) released the following statement today regarding the Biden Administration’s new suite of actions to advance industrial decarbonization across American manufacturing. This statement may be attributed to Gabrielle Habeeb, Project Manager for the Industrial Innovation Initiative:  “The suite of actions announced by the Biden-Harris Administration today marks a commitment to American…

  • About I3: Paving the Way for Industrial Sector Decarbonization by Midcentury

    About I3: Paving the Way for Industrial Sector Decarbonization by Midcentury

    The Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3) is an ambitious and diverse coalition that aims to drive emissions reductions and economic investment in key US industrial sectors. I3 values a stable climate, a safe and healthy environment, thriving livelihoods for American workers, and a strong US economy. Therefore, I3 supports policies that will put American industry on a path to net-zero emissions, retain and create high-wage jobs,…

Senior Program Coordinator - Carbon Management, GPI

Carrie Danner joined the Great Plains Institute in 2023 and serves as the operations coordinator for the Carbon Management team. In her work, she supports all projects within the program to elevate operations, specifically in the grant making and event planning spaces. 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.

Carbon Management Program Associate, GPI

Alana joined GPI in 2024 as a program associate on the Carbon Management team, specifically supporting the Industrial Innovation Initiative, where she helps to advance industrial decarbonization through GPI’s consensus-building approach. Alana previously worked as an account executive at Jamf, where she helped current K-12 education customers improve and scale the management and security of their Apple device deployments. Alana has spent most of her professional years working with Minnesota nonprofits, including two years as an AmeriCorps member with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in community environmental studies from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Ankita Gangotra, Associate, WRI

Dr. Ankita Gangotra is an Associate in WRI’s US Climate Program, researching avenues to decarbonize the industrial sector, focusing on cement and steel decarbonization, environmental trade policies and international cooperation. Prior to joining WRI, Ankita was a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Foreign Service and the Department of Physics at Georgetown University. Her research looked at the readily available technology and policy options for upgrading low-carbon cement production in the United States. Ankita has an integrated Master's in Electronics Engineering with Nanotechnology from the University of York, UK (2015) and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Auckland, New Zealand (2020). During her time in New Zealand, Ankita interned at the Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor looking into equity, diversity and inclusion policy options for New Zealand’s science, research and innovation workforce.

Carrie Dellesky, Program and Outreach Manager, Carbon Removal and Industrial Innovation, WRI

Carrie Dellesky is the Program and Outreach Manager for Carbon Removal and Industrial Innovation. She develops strategies to advance policies and practices for scaling up a suite of carbon removal approaches and decarbonizing the industrial sector. She engages allies and builds and expands partnerships to mobilize champions and enhance visibility, action and impact. She also leads communications to amplify research and thought leadership, including messaging, media relations, event planning, social media and digital strategy.

Zachary Byrum, Research Analyst, WRI

Zachary Byrum is a Research Analyst in WRI's U.S. Climate Program, where he provides technology and policy analysis for carbon removal and deep decarbonization. His work focuses on pathways to reduce industrial emissions as well as bolstering technological carbon removal. Prior to WRI, Zach was a research assistant in the Carbon Management Research Initiative at the Center on Global Energy Policy. In the preceding years, he served as White House Intern in the National Economic Council under the Obama Administration and then an assistant analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. Zach holds a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Goucher College.

Katie Lebling, Associate, WRI

Katie Lebling is an Associate in WRI's Climate Program where she works on research and analysis of technological carbon removal approaches and industrial decarbonization. Before joining WRI, she worked at The Asia Group, and interned at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum and the Treasury Department’s Office of Environment and Energy. She holds a Master's degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Energy, Resources, and the Environment, where she spent one year of the program studying in Nanjing, China, and has a B.A. from Colby College in Biology and Chinese language.

Debbie Weyl, Deputy Director, WRI United States

Debbie Karpay Weyl is the Deputy Director for WRI U.S. She previously served as Manager for the Buildings Initiative at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. She led an expanding global partnership to accelerate building energy efficiency in cities around the world. She also contributed to program management and development, research, and knowledge exchange for urban energy efficiency and sustainability. Debbie joined WRI from CLASP, a global non-profit organization that improves the environmental and energy performance of appliances, lighting and equipment. From 2011-2016 Debbie managed and developed global programs, led research projects, and facilitated collaboration among international experts and other representatives in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Prior to joining CLASP, Debbie worked at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, where she was a contractor supporting building efficiency and other energy efficiency programs in the United States. Debbie holds a Master of Science in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a B.A. in Politics (Political Economy and International Relations) from Princeton University.

Angela Anderson, Director of Industrial Innovation and Carbon Removal, WRI United States

Angela Anderson is the Director of Industrial Innovation and Carbon Removal in the Climate Program. She leads WRI's growing portfolio of work in industrial decarbonization and carbon removal and aims to change narratives around “hard-to-abate” sectors and promote the natural and technological interventions required to achieve net-zero targets. Prior to joining WRI, Angela worked as a program director, coalition builder, international advocate, and campaign strategist. She led the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists for ten years; facilitated US-NGO engagement in the international climate negotiations while at US Climate Action Network and at the Pew Environmental Trust; and founded Clear the Air, a national coalition to reduce pollution from power plants. Angela holds a B.A. in political science from Colorado State University.

Patrice Lahlum, Vice President of Carbon Management, GPI

Patrice Lahlum is the vice president of the Carbon Management program at the Great Plains Institute. The Institute, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, works with diverse stakeholders and communities across the country to transform the energy system to benefit people, the economy, and the environment. We strive to combine our unique consensus-building approach, expert knowledge and analysis, and local action to promote solutions that strengthen communities, shore up the nation’s industrial base, and enhance domestic energy independence, all while eliminating carbon emissions. Patrice oversees several initiatives including the Carbon Capture Coalition, Industrial Innovation Initiative, Carbon Action Alliance, and the Regional Carbon Capture Deployment Initiative.

Kate Sullivan, Senior Program Coordinator, Carbon Management, GPI

Kate Sullivan joined the Great Plains Institute in 2019. As Senior rogram Coordinator, Kate uses her analytical and design skills to provide research, writing, and logistical support across the Carbon Management team. Prior to joining GPI, Kate worked as an Energy Counselor in the Center for Energy and Environment’s residential department, assisting homeowners with their energy needs and providing resources for efficiency upgrades. Kate earned her BA in Biology from St. Olaf College with an emphasis in Environmental Studies.

David Soll, Industrial Decarbonization Manager, GPI

David Soll joined the Great Plains Institute in 2023 and serves as Industrial Decarbonization Manager. He oversees the Industrial Innovation Initiative, a coalition advancing decarbonization solutions for the Midcontinent region’s most important industrial sectors. Prior to joining GPI, he taught history and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he focused on urban infrastructure and energy conservation. David earned a Master’s in government from the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in history from Brandeis University.

Jill Syvrud, Senior Program Manager, Carbon Management, GPI

Jill Syvrud joined the Great Plains Institute in 2017 and serves as the program manager for the Carbon Management Program. In addition to overseeing the overall program, Jill directly supports the Industrial Innovation Initiative, a coalition advancing decarbonization solutions for the Midcontinent region’s most important industrial sectors. Jill earned a bachelor of science in biology from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and a master of science degree in science technology and environmental policy from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Jill’s past experience includes multiple graduate research assistantships concentrating on technology innovation and sustainable megacities along and a previous position as an administrative and outreach coordination intern with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association.