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Kern County touts first-in-state carbon capture permitting for Elk Hills project
Summary
Chair Leticia Perez said Kern County permitted the Carbon Terra Vault project in the Elk Hills oil field and described it as California’s first carbon capture project with an EPA permit; company California Resources Corporation (CRC) was acknowledged in the address.
Leticia Perez, chair of the Kern County Board of Supervisors and 5th District supervisor, said the county has permitted what she described as California’s first carbon capture project and EPA permit, a project she identified by name later in the speech as Carbon Terra Vault.
Perez said California Resources Corporation (CRC) will use established technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions and store them underground in geological formations in the Elk Hills oil field. "This project will be located in the Elk Hills oil field and is part of a larger effort to position Kern County as a carbon management industry hub," Perez said.
The chair framed the project as both an environmental and economic opportunity, saying it could attract related industries such as green hydrogen and direct air capture while creating engineering, construction and operations jobs. Perez said the project will provide new general-fund revenue for county services and "high paying jobs in engineering, construction and operations."
Perez named Joe Ashley as a CRC partner and asked him and CRC associates to stand during the address; she did not provide the EPA permit number, the project’s final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) status, or detailed timelines for injection, monitoring or long‑term liability. The speech also did not specify regulatory conditions, monitoring protocols or county oversight agreements.
Statements in the address reflect the chair’s summary of the project; the article does not confirm permit status, EIR completion, or other approvals beyond what was said on the record.
