Committee advances bill giving state oil-and-gas regulator authority over Class VI carbon-injection wells

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development voted to advance House Bill 14-11, which would authorize the state Oil and Gas Commission to oversee Class VI wells used for geologic storage of carbon dioxide and to seek primacy from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a state-administered program.

A sponsor representing the bill from the Department of Energy and Environment described the measure as allowing the Oil and Gas Commission to apply for primacy, streamline permitting for Class VI wells, and set fees tied to permitting and long-term stewardship. The transcript records that the bill would require a one-time application fee of $50,000 for computer modeling and an annual well fee of $1,000. The measure would also create a carbon dioxide storage trust fund and impose a per-ton charge on injected CO2; the transcript records disagreements in the discussion about how the per‑ton fees would be apportioned but indicates the sponsor described a 10¢ per-ton collection with portions allocated for operations and for a long-term trust for remediation when wells are closed.

Committee members had no additional questions and no public commenters testified. The sponsor closed and moved the bill; the committee approved the measure by voice vote. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally.