Cases / Carbon capture and climate intervention · United States · 2023–2025
Occidental buys Holocene as US carbon removal staff is cut to one person
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
Occidental bought the direct air capture company Holocene in April 2025, as the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff was reduced to one person. At stake for nature is how a 3.5 billion dollar direct air capture hub programme is spent.
What?
Occidental bought the direct air capture company Holocene, and the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff was reduced to one person. Heatmap
Where?
United States Heatmap
When?
August 2023 (Carbon Engineering) and April 2025 (Holocene) Heatmap
Who?
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Acquisition of direct air capture companies Heatmap
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
Heatmap reported in April 2025 that Occidental had bought Holocene, and that the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff had been reduced to one person.
Heatmap also referred to a 3.5 billion dollar direct air capture hub programme.
OGJ reported in August 2023 that Occidental had bought Carbon Engineering for about 1.1 billion dollars, and gave a mid-2025 target for the Stratos plant.
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- None on record Not stated in the sources reviewed: the price Occidental paid for Holocene.
- None on record Not stated in the sources reviewed: whether the Stratos plant met its mid-2025 target.
- None on record Not stated in the sources reviewed: why the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff was reduced.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers
Press and investigations
- Occidental buys HoloceneHeatmap · 2025-04-16
- Occidental to acquire direct air capture technology companyOGJ · 2023-08-15
Connected cases
Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
- Occidental Stratos direct air capture plant (Texas) United States · 2023–2026
- Occidental Petroleum (Hooker / OxyChem) (Company) — here: Acquirer of Holocene and Carbon Engineering; there: Owner and developer of Stratos
- Carbon Engineering (Company) — here: Direct air capture company acquired in 2023; there: DAC company acquired by Occidental, August 2023
- US Department of Energy (Government) — here: Federal department whose carbon removal staff was reduced; there: Funder of DAC hubs; Assistant Secretary Brad Crabtree from April 2022
- 45Q lobby coalition's founding director was named to head DOE carbon office United States · 2011–2025
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- US Department of Energy (Government) — here: Federal department whose carbon removal staff was reduced; there: administers carbon management funds
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- US Department of Energy (Government) — here: Federal department whose carbon removal staff was reduced; there: ran the hub funding and the list
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- US Department of Energy (Government) — here: Federal department whose carbon removal staff was reduced; there: Ran the Clean Coal programme, 1986–1993
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- US Department of Energy (Government) — here: Federal department whose carbon removal staff was reduced; there: Owner of the Hanford site; published the 2025 cost estimate
- Love Canal (New York) United States · 1980–1995
- Occidental Petroleum (Hooker / OxyChem) (Company) — here: Acquirer of Holocene and Carbon Engineering; there: Successor to Hooker; defendant and payer
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- Syrah declares force majeure at Mozambique graphite mine after unrest Mozambique · 2024
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- Occidental Petroleum (Hooker / OxyChem) (Company) — here: Acquirer of Holocene and Carbon Engineering; there: Named inauguration-fund donor