NFL’s Houston Texans kicking off Carbon Capture offsets for Air Travel Emissions
The Houston Texans may be looking for a head coach right now, but the National Football League franchise has found a big play for starting to offset the environmental impact of its operations.
Carbon capture, utilization and sequestration platform 1PointFive has signed a deal with the Texans organziation for the purchase of carbon dioxide (CO2) removal credits to offset emissions from the team’s air travel.
Under the agreement, the Texans will buy CO2 removal credits from 1PointFive’s first Direct Air Capture (DAC) plant, set to be operational in late 2024.
DAC is a technology that captures and removes CO2 directly from the atmosphere and stores it underground in geologic formations, providing a solution for hard-to-decarbonize activities such as air travel. As part of the agreement with the Texans, the CO2 captured by DAC will be sequestered in saline reservoirs that are not associated with oil and gas production.
The Texans will use the credits to offset the carbon emissions from the team's air travel to away games for three seasons.
“We believe direct air capture is an efficient way to help reduce an organization’s carbon footprint and provides a solution that is particularly well-suited to addressing carbon emissions associated with air travel," Michael Avery, President and General Manager of 1PointFive, said.
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The two parties have also signed a sponsorship agreement, which will see 1PointFive become the Texans' Preferred Carbon Removal Partner and work with the team to educate fans on DAC as well as the importance of carbon removal.
“We are proud to partner with 1PointFive and welcome them to our Houston Texans family,” said Jerry Angel, Houston Texans Vice President of Corporate Development. “Together with 1PointFive, we will strive to make a difference across our community.”
1PointFive is a subsidiary of U.S.-based energy firm Occidental’s Low Carbon Ventures business. The platform is working to help curb global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2050 through the deployment of decarbonization solutions.
The Houston Texans finished 3-13-1 this past year, the second worst record in the league. They fired head coach Lovie Smith after his one season leading the team.