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Experts tell Washington committee basalt geology offers huge carbon‑sequestration potential but regulatory gaps block deployment
Summary
Experts told the Environment and Energy Committee that Washington's basalt formations could store billions of tons of CO2 and provide economic opportunities, but said the state lacks key data, clear permitting, pipeline siting authority and financial assurances. Ecology announced a public comment period on permanence guidance.
At a legislative work session, witnesses from industry, research labs and state agencies urged the Environment and Energy Committee to accelerate policy, data collection and funding to enable carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) projects that proponents say Washington's geology can support at scale.
Megan Gavin, general counsel of the Carbon Containment Lab, told the committee Washington has "basalt formations capable of safely sequestering over 40,000,000,000 metric tons of CO2 for millennia," and described recent remote‑sensing surveys and a feasibility report that identified three areas of interest for further characterization.
Why it matters: witnesses said Washington’s Columbia River basalts are a rare long‑term sequestration opportunity that could allow hard‑to‑decarbonize industries to comply with state climate rules while creating jobs and revenue. But they repeatedly warned regulatory uncertainty, gaps in subsurface data and lack of permitted sequestration facilities are preventing projects from moving beyond planning and pilot stages.
Industry and research perspectives Shane Johnson, CEO and cofounder of Carbon Quest, outlined capture technologies and economics, stressing the difference between point‑source capture (industrial streams) and direct‑air capture. Johnson said capture efficiency can reach about 95% for targeted streams and described a Yakima industrial installation that is being installed this week. He pressed for policy clarity and procurement signals that would allow private capital to flow.
Madeline Blondes, head of North American project development for CarbFix, described mineralization techniques developed in Iceland and reported field results showing rapid conversion of injected CO2 into stable carbonate minerals. "In under two years, we've shown that over 95% mineralizes into a stable carbonate," she said, and said the company is interested in Washington because of its basalt composition and thickness.
State agency roles and limits Will Gallon of the Washington Geological Survey (a DNR division) reviewed prior projects in the region, including the Wallula pilot, and noted monitoring and permitting follow strict EPA standards. Kelsey Stanton of DNR's Product Sales and Leasing program said subsurface sequestration on trust lands would likely be managed through leases and flagged unresolved questions about water rights, valuation of pore space and trespass liabilities.
Joel Creswell of the Department of Ecology said Ecology is preparing guidance to implement the Cap and Invest program’s permanence standard and will launch a public engagement and comment period starting May 21 that runs through June 26; he said Ecology would draft policy language in the months that follow and may seek statutory changes if needed. Creswell described the program's existing 1,000‑year permanence reference and noted that EPA currently has primacy under the Safe Drinking Water Act for Class VI injection wells.
Policy design and financial assurance Speakers and members discussed policy mechanisms used in other states: model legislation to define subsurface rights and liabilities, state steps to improve regulatory readiness, and financial assurance approaches such as industry trust funds to cover long‑term liability. Commerce's Bill Drumheller recommended treating CCUS within the existing structure of the Clean Energy Transformation Act where feasible, while ensuring storage is demonstrably permanent before emissions are treated as exempt.
Concerns and risks Critical voices emphasized risks: the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis urged rigorous life‑cycle analyses, noting that capture projects can be costly to retrofit and rely heavily on federal 45Q tax credits that may change over time. Committee members pressed about energy intensity, water‑quality protections and the need for monitoring and financial backstops.
Next steps No votes were taken. Ecology announced the public‑engagement timeline on permanence guidance and offset protocols; several witnesses recommended further state investment in geophysical surveys, convertible characterization wells on state trust lands, clearer permitting pathways and possible legislation to define subsurface rights and financial assurance mechanisms. The committee said the conversation will continue in future sessions.
