The PA Chamber joined seven business groups from around the country last week in sending a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan calling for approval of state primacy applications for Class VI injection wells – also known as CO2 injection wells. This infrastructure is a critical piece in supporting carbon capture and sequestration investment projects that will help support a clean energy future.

 

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) would help reduce emissions from hard-to-abate industries and spur economic growth; and while it has been given full support from the Biden Administration, the permitting process for CO2 injection wells has been stagnant. Similarly, states requesting primacy over Class VI wells permitting have faced significant delays in their applications before the EPA, despite its ability to speed up the deployment of CCS.

 

“As organizations representing tens of thousands of businesses in our states, we’re continuously hearing that our members want to innovate and invest in carbon capture and sequestration – but that can’t happen unless the permitting backlog at the EPA is addressed,” said PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein in a press release. “We appreciate the Biden Administration’s public declarations and funding commitments to support the growing CCS industry. Now, it’s time to put those words into action, approve primacy applications for Class VI injection wells, and deliver the economic and emission reduction opportunities that will come with it.”

 

The coalition – which includes the PA Chamber, the Pennsylvania Chemical Industry Council; the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois; Illinois Manufacturers’ Association; New Mexico Chamber of Commerce; Texas Economic Development Council; Greater Houston Partnership and the West Virginia Manufacturers Association – included the following excerpts in the letter to stress the need to expedite these permits:

 

• Our members are collectively pursuing billions of dollars in new investments in carbon capture and sequestration, which will provide secure, good paying jobs and generate new revenue streams for communities across the country.”
• “We join the growing, bipartisan chorus of stakeholders and policymakers who are calling attention to this lack of movement that is obstructing needed investments in CCS.”
• “Certainty and predictability are key factors businesses and producers need to make definitive investments in CCS technology, and that starts with a reasonable timeline for primacy and permitting decisions.”
• “Without immediate improvement, the current Class VI permitting timeline will continue to serve as a barrier to meeting emission reduction goals – including the ones the Biden Administration has set – while discouraging much-needed infrastructure investments across the country.”