| by Caitlin Fillmore

News Stories

Chapman, Allie
Allie Chapman (left) attending the hearing for the congressional bill she drafted at the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s hearing, “Navigating the Blue Frontier: Evaluating the Potential of Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Approaches.”

At first glance, Allie Chapman didn’t think a fellowship with the Conservative Climate Leadership Program would be for her.

But not only did she land the position in a fellowship program run by ClearPath—a conservative clean energy nonprofit that sponsors fellows for yearlong opportunities in congressional offices—but she led the drafting of the first-ever legislation on marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR).

“I’m not conservative, but I took the position because I was intrigued by the opportunity to work across the aisle in a bipartisan manner. It’s refreshing to see conservatives willing to acknowledge climate change and prioritize the need for clean energy over our dependence on fossil fuels,” Chapman said.

“Climate change isn’t a problem for half of our population, it’s a problem for everyone,” said Chapman, an environmental policy and management student graduating next year. “At the end of the day, climate change affects us all.”

Chapman got a front-row seat to how Congress really works.

“I had to do a lot of research when I got here about the legislative process—well beyond my Schoolhouse Rock days in fifth grade,” Chapman said. “I thought members of Congress were the ones drafting and shaping legislation, but it really can be staff and external stakeholders who come together to do the heavy lifting.”

On September 19, Chapman’s work with the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology became public via a congressional hearing to introduce mCDR research to members of Congress. The goal is to establish the first national research program, led jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), to capture and sequester atmospheric carbon in marine environments.

“A lot of this effort was trying to figure out who was going to take the lead on this, which office was even willing to take this on, who can pay for it,” Chapman said. “The priority is to develop and expand research safely and with community buy-in so as to move towards federally funded demonstrations and scale up.”

Congressional hearing
Chapman (back right), alongside committee members and staff during the congressional hearing for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) research.

Chapman will speak about her experience working across the aisle to develop cutting-edge climate legislation during an October 21 event at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. This event is open to the public and hosted by the Center for the Blue Economy.

A Crash Course on Climate Science

Marine carbon dioxide removal is the process of removing carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere, using innovative techniques like altering the chemical makeup of seawater to allow for enhanced uptake of carbon by the ocean.

The mCDR approach is much more mysterious than terrestrial efforts to capture carbon, such as direct air capture. In fact, Chapman said she only had “a very basic understanding” of mCDR before her fellowship. Over the last nine months, she has not only taught herself the intricacies of this emerging field, but prepared to educate Congress on its potential.

Marine carbon dioxide removal “is pretty well known in the oceans world but it was new to me,” Chapman said. “The government doesn’t have a great understanding of it either. This bill specifically is the first draft text we know of that has marine carbon dioxide removal in the title and as the sole focus of a bill.”

For the last nine months, Chapman has spent much of her time integrating the opinions of stakeholders—four dozen nonprofits, universities, tech companies, and government agencies giving feedback on the draft text of her bill. She unearthed similar model legislation drafted by Columbia University to provide a starting point for this trailblazing work.

Professor Jason Scorse called Chapman’s work “outstanding and cutting-edge.” Scorse, program chair of the Environmental Policy and Management program and director of the Center for the Blue Economy (CBE), said Chapman’s fellowship is an example of the CBE’s purpose.

“Our program is 100 percent focused on making change, setting narratives and agendas, and getting policy and projects over the finish line,” Scorse said. “How many master’s students write congressional bills? Not research papers about the bills, but the actual bill. I’ve never heard of a master’s student writing a bill before. It’s incredible. Allie’s work is exemplary.”

Sharing Lessons on Working across the Aisle

This October, Chapman will share what she learned from this experience with the community, from the process of drafting legislation to what it’s really like working on Capitol Hill. That includes the challenges of working with people with differing political views during a particularly fraught election year.

“I started in January having zero idea of how to draft legislation and only a basic understanding of mCDR. And now almost nine months later I’ve figured out both,” she said. “It just takes the ability to seek out help from other people, not be afraid to ask and use your resources, and be willing to dig in.”

Climate change isn’t a problem for half of our population, it’s a problem for everyone. At the end of the day, climate change affects us all.
— Allie Chapman, MAEPM ’25

Post-hearing, Chapman hopes her work will live on. She has seen evidence of mCDR-related capacity building between NOAA and the DOE, not only because of her work, but because of initiatives like the recent Memorandum of Agreement between the two agencies. And she believes in the “ripple effect” of bringing attention to the issue of mCDR to Congress and the wider public. 

However, she is ultimately unsure what the future holds for her first bill.

“I can’t say what will become of this bill because we don’t know,” Chapman said. “It will be introduced to the House, but after that, it’s quite a long road to be passed by both chambers and signed by the next president.”

Even with this uncertainty, Chapman reflects on the impact her fellowship with the Conservative Climate Leadership Program had on her career goals.

“Even if this bill goes nowhere, my hope is it will have created a new interest in mCDR,” she said. “Getting this bill from an idea in my head to an actual 15-page document that will go in front of members is by far the biggest project I have led in my professional career.”