Overview
- The approval shifts permitting of Class VI geologic carbon sequestration wells to the Texas Railroad Commission.
- A prepublication notice said Administrator Lee Zeldin signed the final rule, with EPA continuing oversight of Texas’ UIC program.
- Texas now holds primacy across all six underground injection control classes, completing state control of the program.
- Industry groups and state officials say primacy will streamline applications and provide regulatory certainty for carbon capture projects.
- Watchdog groups warn of lax enforcement risks, and uncertainty remains over how more than 60 pending applications at EPA will be handled.