Those seeking to dispose of excess CO₂ emissions using injection/geologic sequestration now know what the agency's expectations will be for such technologies. The EPA in the Friday, Dec. 10, 2010, Federal Register finalized its minimum Federal requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for underground injection of CO₂ for the purpose of geologic sequestration.

The final rule applies to owners or operators of wells that will be used to inject CO₂ into the subsurface for the purpose of long-term storage. It establishes a new class of well, Class VI, and sets minimum technical criteria for the permitting, geologic site characterization, area of review, and corrective action, financial responsibility, well construction, operation, mechanical integrity testing, monitoring, well plugging, post-injection site care (PISC), and site closure of Class VI wells for the purposes of protecting underground sources of drinking water.

The rule was primarily based on the agency's extant underground injection control regulatory framework, with modifications to address the unique nature of CO₂ injection for geologic sequestration. The agency hopes that this rule will help ensure consistency in permitting underground injection of CO₂ at sequestration operations across the United States, and provide requirements to prevent endangerment of USDWs in anticipation of the eventual use of the technology to reduce CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere and to mitigate climate change.

The regulation is effective Jan. 10, 2011.

The Federal Register notice includes a ton of background information on the rule that may be useful in determining the efficacy of geologic sequestration, including its plans for future research.

SOURCE: Federal Register