Status of CCS injection well regulation in the United States and correlates of project location and maturity

Abstract The number of carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) projects under development in the United States increased sharply following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. The 168 applications subsequently filed with the Environmental Protection Agency reflect projects that are unevenly spread geographically and vary in maturity. Here we summarize the heterogeneous regulatory environment for approval of injection wells across the country and examine whether there is a relationship between the existence and maturity of injection well applications and a range of factors that could affect the development process. These factors include EPA region, state primacy, geologic resources for sequestration, point source carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, public land ownership, pore space legislation, and community characteristics. We find that CCS project approvals have not matched the pace of application submissions and there is wide geographic variation in siting. We find evidence that EPA region and state primacy are associated with project maturity, while geologic resources, state pore space legislation, and county-level racial group shares are associated with project location. While we make no causal claims, we find with statistical significance that sequestration sites are more frequently located in counties with higher non-White populations. We find no clear relationship between state CO 2 emissions, public land ownership, or median household income with either project location or maturity.