EPA approves North Dakota request to manage its CCS program

In Washington, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has approved the State of North Dakota’s request to implement and enforce its own Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) program, commonly referred to as Carbon Capture and Storage. This marks the first time any state has received primacy for Class VI UIC wells, which are used for the long-term storage of carbon dioxide captured from industrial and energy related sources. Red Trail Energy, and the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) were awarded $490,000 in 2016 by the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s Renewable Energy Program in support of a study examining the integration of carbon capture and storage (CCS) at RTE’s ethanol manufacturing facility near Richardton to reduce the carbon footprint associated with ethanol production.