Pending California Legislation Highlights Need For Stronger Commitment To Carbon Capture & Sequestration

Executive Summary

Geological sequestration is just one tool for companies and governments to use to achieve carbon neutrality. Our Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group explores the hurdles California is discovering as its legislature seeks to make carbon capture an integral part of its emission-reduction strategy.

• Permitting of CCS projects is infrequent and expensive
• The uncertainty of post-injection site care and long-term liability
• Pathways forward

A bill pending before the California State Senate could boost support for carbon capture and sequestration projects. The California Climate Crisis Act (AB 1395), which has already passed the Assembly, sets a state policy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, and no later than 2045. The bill recognizes the need for a variety of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to achieve these dramatic reductions. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently directed the California Air