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Texas and federal environmental agencies are on the same page for once. Recent rules passed by the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to oversee the states underground carbon storage industry have drawn support from environmentalists, researchers and the regulated industry.
Texas has potentially centuries worth of geological capacity for CO2 storage, which is well-mapped after generations of oil drilling, said supporters. Oil companies stand to benefit as well, since carbon can be used to bring up some deposits that are beyond the reach of traditional drilling.
The EPAs rule, finalized in November, creates a new class of regulated injection well, with associated requirements to protect underground drinking water. The rule is consistent with the RRCs new rules, finalized December 2.
Susan Hovorka, a senior research scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas, and Darrick Eugene, a lobbyist for the Texas Carbon Capture and Storage Association, said that stymied federal cap-and-trade regulations would have supported enhanced oil recovery in the state by keeping the price low on CO2 supplies.
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