Pennsylvania senator Gene Yaw will reintroduce legislation that focuses on several key points crucial to setting the legal and regulatory framework for potential CO2 capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) in the state.
The legislation, which aims to turn Pennsylvania into a CCUS hub, includes a bill that will direct the Commonwealth to apply for primary enforcement authority from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for underground injection wells for carbon dioxide.
Other states, such as Texas and Louisiana, also seek to enable CCUS and have already secured primacy, which is key to streamlining the permitting process.
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Yaw said the law aims to address CO2 emissions without affecting the reliability of the existing power grid.
“Pennsylvania is uniquely qualified to develop a vast CCUS network, thanks to our robust energy industry and extensive geological formations,” he said. “We should act now to establish a solid regulatory framework that will attract investment, development, and economic opportunity for decades to come.”
The Great Plains Institute used data from a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources report to estimate that Pennsylvania has the potential to store about 2.4 billion metric tons of carbon underground.
According to a McKinsey Research report from 2022, CCUS uptake needs to increase by at least 120 times by mid-century for countries to reach their net-zero targets. The report also says that, based on the current CCUS projects pipeline, around 110 million tons per year of carbon dioxide are expected to be captured by 2030. In order to reach net zero goals, pledged by 64 countries at COP26, about 715 million tons per annum (mtpa) of carbon dioxide are required by 2030 and 4,200 mtpa by 2050.
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