CERPA Releases White Paper on Class VI Regulations for Carbon Storage in Wyoming

 

The Center for Energy Regulation and Policy Analysis (CERPA) in the School of Energy Resources (SER) has released a white paper providing an overview of Wyoming’s robust statutory and regulatory framework supporting the carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry.

Co-authored by CERPA Director Kara Fornstrom and Associate Research Professional of Law and Policy Madeleine Lewis, the white paper summarizes how the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) regulates Class VI of the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Underground Injection Control Program, including analysis of recent legislation addressing long-term stewardship of injected carbon dioxide (CO₂).

“First and foremost, we want to make sure that we are providing as much information possible about carbon storage in Wyoming, especially when it comes to the safety of CCS technology and how it is managed,” says Fornstrom. “The aim of the paper is to serve as an educational resource for the general public regarding the safety of dedicated CO₂ storage, and also provide a digestible summary of the existing rules and frameworks crafted by our state leaders and regulatory bodies to ensure that this technology can be safely deployed and monitored in our State.”

Through an analysis of the resources and processes in place for CCS in Wyoming, the paper affirms that addressing risk management of dedicated CO₂ storage through Class VI wells is an important component of Wyoming’s comprehensive statutory and regulatory framework.

According to the authors, considerable research efforts by the CCS industry, the national labs, and institutions like UW’s School of Energy Resources have proven the expected long-term safety of permanent geologic CO₂ storage, and that the WDEQ leads the nation in promulgating effective and efficient regulations to permit Class VI wells, as Wyoming is only the second state to receive this category of primacy from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“With new technologies there is always a level of uncertainty and concern about possible risks, and in the case of CO₂ storage that concern has centered predominantly around drinking water supplies,” says Maddie Lewis. “This white paper really shows that the State has not only done its homework in assessing the long-term safety of permanent geologic storage, but it also outlines the widespread steps taken by WDEQ to identify and proactively manage risks, and also discusses other areas in which Wyoming has emerged as a leader in addressing risk management and long-term stewardship for CCS.”

To download the paper, research brief, as well as other resources released by CERPA, visit the website www.uwyo.edu/ser.

About CERPA

The Center for Energy Regulation & Policy Analysis at the School of Energy Resources is dedicated to producing meaningful, high quality, impartial analysis to inform policymakers and stakeholders about issues critical to the economic development of Wyoming’s energy resources. Through collaboration with other SER Centers of Excellence, CERPA addresses emerging policy and regulatory issues by fostering the exchange of information and engages with stakeholders to inform various audiences about the importance of Wyoming’s energy resources.