EPA Announces Intent To Approve Class VI Primacy For Louisiana

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its intent to approve the State of Louisiana's request to take primary responsibility for the permitting of geologic carbon sequestration facilities as Class VI injection wells under the Safe Drinking Water Act's (SDWA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) program. UIC Class VI wells are used to inject and permanently store carbon dioxide in underground geologic formations. The approval will accelerate development of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects in Louisiana.

Sponsors seeking to develop carbon capture and sequestration projects must seek approval for Class VI wells from the EPA, unless EPA grants primacy to the host state. EPA review of Class VI well applications is a multi-year time consuming process and is a key source of delay for CCS projects. Upon approval of Louisiana's request for primacy, it would join North Dakota and Wyoming as the only states with authority to issue Class VI permits