EPA issues carbon sequestration rule

Following its September issue of a proposed rule to limit the carbon emissions from new power stations in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has issued a final rule clarifying that carbon dioxide captured from emissions sources and sequestered underground under specific conditions will be excluded from the agency’s hazardous waste regulations.

Under EPA’s proposed rule for power stations, new coal-fired power stations would require the use of carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS, technologies to ensure that their carbon emissions remain below regulated limits.

“Carbon capture and sequestration technology can help us reduce carbon pollution and move towards a cleaner, more stable environment,” said Mathy Stanislaus, EPA assistant administrator for solid waste and emergency response, when announcing the new rule on Dec. 19. “Today’s rule provides regulatory clarity to help facilitate the implementation of this technology in a safe and responsible way.”

EPA says that it has concluded that the careful management of carbon dioxide streams, injected underground using a specific type of well, does not present a substantial risk to human health or the environment. The rule also clarifies that the underground injection of carbon dioxide for the purpose of enhanced oil recovery in an oil field is not expected to be a waste management activity.

The agency is also releasing for public comment draft guidance for converting wells of a certain type into wells suitable for carbon sequestration.

A number of people have expressed skepticism over the use of CCS technology, saying that the technology has not reached the level of maturity required for commercial operation and that the cost of using the technology in conjunction with power generation would be uneconomic.

—Alan Bailey