Carbon Sequestration in Our Region

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Geologic sequestration of greenhouse gases will include the underground injection of carbon dioxide through wells and into deep and porous rock formations. The UIC program of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulates this practice.

Activities In Our Region

Many different types of projects involving the underground injection of CO₂ are underway in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Some are for enhanced recovery of oil and natural gas. EPA regulates these wells as Class II wells. For more information on enhanced recovery and CO₂ injection in Region 5, see the Department of Energy's Basin Oriented Strategies for CO₂ Enhanced Oil Recovery: Illinois & Michigan Basins (PDF) (104 pp). Other wells are experimental and are regulated as Class I or Class V wells depending on the extent of the project.

Information Exchange Through Symposiums & Meetings

International Symposium on Site Characterization for CO₂ Geological Storage March 2006

Gaylord, Michigan (July 2006): Met with Core Energy, LLC, DTE Gas & Oil Company , the State of Michigan, and Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP) to discuss a pilot project in the Michigan Basin.

Regional Meeting (Spring 2007): Worked with Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP) to organize and hold a regional meeting to discuss issues related to carbon sequestration in our region.

Key Partnerships and Links

Important Notice: The links below provide additional information that may be useful or interesting and is being provided consistent with the intended purpose of the EPA Web site. However, EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by this link or any other linked site. Providing links to a non-EPA Web site does not constitute an endorsement by EPA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the site or the information or products presented on the site. Also, be aware that the privacy protection provided on the EPA.gov domain (see Privacy and Security Notice) may not be available at the external link.

Midwest Geological Carbon Sequestration Consortium (MGSC): The MGSC covers the Illinois Basin, which is a geologic depression underlying most of Illinois and extending into southwest Indiana and northwest Kentucky. The MGSC has representatives from these states. It is working to assess the potential for geologic sequestration (storage) of carbon dioxide in the deeply buried unminable coal seams, depleting oil or gas reservoirs, and brine-filled rock formations found in the Illinois Basin.

Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP): The MRCSP partnership covers an area which consists of seven contiguous states: Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. A group of leading universities, state geological surveys, nongovernmental organizations and private companies, led by Battelle Memorial Institute has been assembled to carry out this research. A recent Columbus Dispatch article describes recent activity.

Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle): Battelle has several web pages devoted to carbon sequestration. See, for example, Carbon Sequestration - A Key Climate Change Mitigation Technology.

Department of Energy (DOE): The DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory, Department of Energy site has a great deal of information on carbon sequestration.

State Web Pages
Illinois	Illinois State Geological Survey has information about its carbon sequestration work.
Indiana	The Indiana Geological Survey is a partner in NATCARB, the National Carbon Sequestration Database and Geographical Information System, run by the US Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory. IGS Research in Carbon Sequestration
Michigan	No web pages known at this time.
Minnesota	No web pages known at this time.
Ohio	Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Wisonsin	No web pages known at this time.