Federal Requirements Under the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Geologic Sequestration (GS) Wells Final Rule
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Rule Summary
On Dec 10, 2010, EPA issued a rule that established a new well class, Class VI. The Class VI rule established minimum technical criteria to protect underground source of drinking water from the long-term subsurface storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). The technical criteria covered by the Class VI rule include:
- Permitting
- Geologic site characterization
- Area of review (AOR) and corrective action
- Financial responsibility
- Well construction
- Operation
- Mechanical integrity testing (MIT)
- Monitoring
- Well plugging
- Post-injection site care (PISC)
- Site closure
The rule became effective on September 7, 2011, after a 270-day period during which states could apply for and receive primary enforcement authority (primacy). EPA directly implements the Class VI Program in all states, territories, and Tribes that do not have Class VI primacy. For more information on UIC primacy, review EPA's UIC primacy webpage.
Review the supporting documents to learn more about the final rule for UIC Class VI wells.
Review the federal register notice for the final rule for UIC Class VI wells.
Rule History
In October 2007 EPA announced that the agency planned to propose regulations to ensure consistency in permitting full-scale geologic sequestration projects. Public stakeholder workshops were held subsequent to that announcement to inform the regulatory development process.
EPA published the proposed rule for for Class VI wells in July 2008. The public comment period opened when the Federal Requirements Under the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Geologic Sequestration (GS) Wells Proposed Rule was published. The comment period closed December 24, 2008.
EPA held two public hearings to solicit public comment on the proposed regulations for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide. The first was held on September 30, 2008, at EPA’s Region 5 Office in Chicago, IL. The second was held on October 2, 2008, in Denver, CO at the Colorado Convention Center.
Review the supporting documents to learn about the proposed rule for UIC Class VI wells.