Environmental Protection Agency
EPA is proposing Federal requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for underground injection of carbon dioxide (CO<INF>2</INF>) for the purpose of geologic sequestration (GS). GS is one of a portfolio of options that could be deployed to reduce CO<INF>2</INF> emissions to the atmosphere and help to mitigate climate change. This proposal applies to owners or operators of wells that will be used to inject CO<INF>2</INF> into the subsurface for the purpose of long-term storage. It proposes a new class of well and minimum technical criteria for the geologic site characterization, fluid movement, area of review (AoR) and corrective action, well construction, operation, mechanical integrity testing, monitoring, well plugging, post-injection site care, and site closure for the purposes of protecting underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). The elements of this proposal are based on the existing Underground Injection Control (UIC) regulatory framework, with modifications to address the unique nature of CO<INF>2</INF> injection for GS. If finalized, this proposal would help ensure consistency in permitting underground injection of CO<INF>2</INF> at GS operations across the U.S. and provide requirements to prevent endangerment of USDWs in anticipation of the eventual use of GS to reduce CO<INF>2</INF> emissions.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Environmental Protection Agency 40 CFR Parts 144 and 146 [EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0390 FRL-8695-3] RIN 2040-AE98 AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: EPA is proposing Federal requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for underground injection of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) for the purpose of geologic sequestration (GS). GS is one of a portfolio of options that could be deployed to reduce CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere and help to mitigate climate change. This proposal applies to owners or operators of wells that will be used to inject CO 2 into the subsurface for the purpose of long-term storage. It proposes a new class of well and minimum technical criteria for the geologic site characterization, fluid movement, area of review (AoR) and corrective action, well construction, operation, mechanical integrity testing, monitoring, well plugging, post-injection site care, and site closure for the purposes of protecting underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). The elements of this proposal are based on the existing Underground Injection Control (UIC) regulatory framework, with modifications to address the unique nature of CO 2 injection for GS. If finalized, this proposal would help ensure consistency in permitting underground injection of CO 2 at GS operations across the U.S. and provide requirements to prevent endangerment of USDWs in anticipation of the eventual use of GS to reduce CO 2 emissions. DATES: Comments must be received o…
Citation: 73 FR 43492
