Epa Proposes Underground Injection Rules For Carbon Dioxide To Protect Groundwater

摘要

The Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed regulations July 15 to govern the underground injection of carbon dioxide. The proposal would provide guidance for the safe, long-term, underground storage of carbon dioxide generated by power plants or other industrial sources to prevent global warming, EPA said. The rules are being proposed under the Safe Drinking Water Act and are designed primarily to protect underground sources of drinking water from contamination by injected carbon dioxide, as well as any impurities the carbon dioxide may contain. The proposal also would prevent the venting of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from improperly capped injection wells, or improperly selected injection sites.rnEPA is not using any Clean Air Act authority under the proposal. The proposal does not affect the capture and transport of carbon dioxide, determination of ownership of the injected carbon dioxide, or accounting for greenhouse gas reductions. EPA July 11 declined to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. (See related article in this issue.)