UW’s SER Releases Landowners’ Resource Guide for Carbon Capture and Storage

The University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources (SER) has released a new resource guide for Wyoming landowners addressing frequently asked questions regarding carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The publication, “What Every Wyoming Landowner Should Know About Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS),” provides a general overview of common issues that have arisen during the development of CCS technology and helps to provide landowners with some guidance when exploring options to lease their pore space.

The publication was written by Carson Tanner, a UW College of Law graduate, as part of an independent study and supervised by Tara Righetti, an SER professor of law.

“I am very happy to have played a part in supporting Wyoming landowners navigating carbon capture and storage as it becomes a more established and promising technology,” Tanner says. “Understanding the basics about what CCS is, how it works and the role that landowners have in its deployment is important for the overall well-being of the state and its citizens.”

“This is a great example of the outreach being conducted through SER by offering world-leading expertise to help educate and benefit Wyoming residents,” Righetti says. “We are working to provide readily available, research-based resources with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of our communities. Carson has done an excellent job crafting this guide in a way that is accessible and easily understood.”

Wyoming is strategically positioned to support CCS technologies and has significant potential to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in energy systems. Not only is the state abundant with favorable geology for carbon storage, but it also boasts significant investment into infrastructure supporting the new industry, including a CO₂ pipeline corridor; proactive legislation to regulate it; and is among the states with the most comprehensive carbon capture incentives.

SER has played a lead role in advancing CCS technology, built on over 15 years of carbon storage research in the state. The research team has spearheaded multiple projects to fully characterize the subsurface geology, as well as the feasibility and safety of commercial deployment. Research led by Righetti, in particular, has laid the foundation for landowners to understand administrative law issues related to energy development and carbon removal, including on split estates and federal lands.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer this resource and meet the objectives of a land-grant institution,” Righetti adds. “CCS and its accompanying policy and regulation are still very new, but Wyoming has been at the forefront in terms of getting information out and we want to make sure that our landowners -- and industry -- are equipped with the best information possible to make decisions as they move forward.”

The guide can be downloaded directly from the SER website, or a hard copy can be requested by emailing Christine Reed, SER director of outreach, at christine.reed@uwyo.edu.

SER is interested in continuing to update and expand the resource guide. Questions about CCS can be submitted through the SER website at www.uwyo.edu/cegr/research-projects/ccus-questions.html. 

About the Authors

Carson Tanner graduated with a joint degree J.D. from the UW College of Law and a master’s degree in environment and natural resources from the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources in spring 2023. He will join Yonkee & Toner LLP as an associate attorney upon passing the 2023 Wyoming bar exam.

Tara Righetti is an SER professor of law and the Occidental Chair in Energy and Environmental Policies. Righetti teaches courses in both SER and the UW College of Law, where her research focuses on governance, property and administrative law issues related to energy development and carbon removal, including on split estates and federal lands.