EPA has proposed allowing West Virginia to issue permits for wells that store carbon dioxide underground, a move cheered by both of the state’s senators.
West Virginia would become only the fourth state with a “primacy” designation for Class VI wells if EPA’s plan is finalized — joining North Dakota, Wyoming and Louisiana.
EPA is currently weighing requests from several states as it works through a pileup of permitting applications for geologic storage. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and Environment and Public Works ranking member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said in a news release Friday that allowing West Virginia to give a green light on a carbon dioxide well in the state — instead of needing approval from EPA — would accelerate the permitting process while “still upholding strict safety standards.”
Carbon capture “will strengthen our energy security, create high-paying jobs, and reduce emissions,” Manchin said in a statement. “Ensuring these wells can be approved quickly and safely by [West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection] experts who know our state best is key to realizing this goal.”
