EPA issues first underground injection permits for carbon sequestration in California

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued four underground injection control (UIC) Class VI well permits to Carbon TerraVault JV Storage Co., a subsidiary of California Resources Corp. in Long Beach, California.

Class VI UIC wells are used to inject carbon dioxide into deep rock formations for permanent underground storage. This technology, called carbon capture and underground storage or geologic sequestration, can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere and mitigate climate change, according to the EPA.

The four Class VI UIC permits are for the first permitted Class VI injection wells in California and are the first such permits issued by EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region.

The EPA has determined that the activities authorized under the Class VI UIC permits are protective of underground sources of drinking water and public health as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

“Although carbon sequestration does not address emissions of methane—a climate super pollutant, responsible for approximately one-third of global warming—from the oil and gas sector, it does capture carbon dioxide,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman says. “This permit is authorized because the Safe Drinking Water Act allows for carbon injection projects that protect drinking water sources.

"EPA worked to ensure that the permit includes important features such as continuous monitoring for carbon dioxide leaks, with that monitoring data made available to the public, and a requirement that CTV plug all abandoned wells in the area of the project—200—before injection. I believe this permit is protective of the public and the environment."

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The permits authorize Carbon TerraVault to construct four deep injection wells in the Elk Hills Oil Field, approximately 20 miles west of Bakersfield, California. The wells will be constructed to depths of more than a mile below surface level, into the Monterey Formation.  

The company plans to inject about 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year for 26 years, totaling almost 38 million metric tons of carbon dioxide removed and stored. The permits identify California Resources Corporation’s precombustion gas treatment within the Elk Hills Oil Field as the initial carbon dioxide source and prescribe a process for Carbon TerraVault to add additional sources of carbon dioxide with EPA's approval.

Based on EPA’s review of the application, including maps, well logs, cores and the results of seismic surveys, the EPA determined that the regional and local geologic features of the site will allow the Monterey Formation to safely receive and store the total volume of carbon dioxide authorized for injection.

In addition, the agency says the confining zone—the geologic formation that overlies the injection formation—provides a suitable trap for the carbon dioxide to remain in place without migration. EPA says it also reviewed historic seismicity data in the area, including an assessment of faults and fractures as well as the probability of induced seismicity due to injection activities. Based on this review, EPA determined that the injection operations are unlikely to cause seismic activity or containment issues.

The Class VI UIC permits will be in effect during the operating life of the injection wells and the postinjection site care period until site closure is completed.