WASHINGTON D.C. - Two months ago a bill to promote carbon capture research and development was introduced to the U.S. Senate. On Tuesday, it was passed out of committee.

West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito co-sponsored the USE IT Act, which she said aims to utilize the natural resources available while creating new ways to use energy and carbon.

It also supports federal, state, and non-governmental agencies to work together to construct and develop carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) facilities and carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines.

"It will help incorporate different viewpoints of federal agencies, states, industry, academia, NGO's to figure out the permitting process for innovative projects - like 'how are we going to carry the carbon?' We don't really have the permitting processes in place. This will give us a better playbook for those projects," Capito said.

The USE IT Act is a bi-partisan bill that was built off of the FUTURE Act which has now been signed into law.