What is the regulatory environment for carbon sequestration?
Although there is not yet a comprehensive federal legal and regulatory framework for carbon storage, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has jurisdiction under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (SDWA) to regulate most types of underground injection. According to the EPA, the injection of CO2 for underground storage is included. Specific regulations are brought together in the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program, which regulates underground injection in five different classes of injection wells. States are allowed to assume primary responsibility for implementing the UIC requirements within their boundaries, as long as the state program is consistent with EPA regulations and has received EPA approval. The SDWA itself authorizes any state to assume primary responsibility for controlling underground injection related to oil and gas recovery and production by demonstrating that its program meets SDWA requirements and represents an effective program.
