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Witnesses say Class 6 aquifer‑exemption rule limits usable storage space for CO2
Summary
Experts told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that current Class 6 restrictions on aquifer exemptions under the Safe Drinking Water Act block access to deep formations that are unsuitable for drinking water but suitable for CO2 storage, removing billions of tons of potential capacity.
WASHINGTON — Technical witnesses told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that a regulatory prohibition on aquifer exemptions for Class 6 wells is keeping large volumes of geologic storage offline.
Kevin Connors of the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center said the Class 6 rule excludes the use of aquifer exemptions — a mechanism used under other UIC classes to allow injection into deep formations that meet federal criteria but are not practicable as drinking water sources. "When EPA…
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