Water Quality

Conductivity: An Inappropriate Measure of Water Quality (May 12, 2010)
New video available from stream scientist explaining conductivity

Issue Brief: Water Resources

Section 404 Permits

Selenium Resource Center

Regulating Captured Carbon Dioxide

The ability to capture and store large volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil-fuel burning may be a key mitigation technology for achieving domestic atmospheric emissions reductions. Establishment of a stable and rational legal and regulatory regime is necessary before the technology can be widely deployed.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulatory authority over the injection of wastes and other substances into below-surface wells through the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA). Accordingly, the agency published, on July 25, 2008, a proposed rule for regulating the underground injection of CO2 for the purpose of long-term storage of CO2 under SDWA.

The rule proposes a new class of wells that will be used to inject CO2 into the subsurface for long-term CO2 storage and minimum technical criteria for: geologic site characterization, fluid movement, area of review and corrective action, well construction, operation, mechanical integrity testing, monitoring, well plugging, post-injection site care and site closure. The new regulations will be incorporated into the UIC program regulations at 40 CFR Part 144 and 146 promulgated under Part C of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Section 1421 of the SDWA requires the EPA administrator to promulgate regulations establishing minimum requirements for effective UIC programs. States must meet these requirements in order to obtain primary enforcement authority for the UIC program in that state.

EPA's Proposed Rule: Federal Requirements Under the Underground Injection Control Program for Carbon Dioxide Geological Sequestration Wells

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