SCS Engineers’ authors Kacey Garber, PG, and Charles Hostetler, PhD, conclude that the Illinois Safety and Aid for the Environment in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act (SAFE CCS Act) of 2024 plays a crucial role in providing clarity for prospective project owners interested in developing value-added products based on low-carbon intensity ethanol. The Act’s potential to expand the market for low-carbon intensity ethanol through products such as sustainable aviation fuel and other chemicals can significantly enhance the financial incentives for carbon sequestration projects, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
Several U.S. states have obtained or are pursuing ‘primacy ‘, which refers to the authority to regulate, for regulating Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) wells for carbon sequestration through a state agency. In Illinois’ case, U.S. EPA Region 5 will continue to hold primacy under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to regulate Class VI UIC wells. However, the Illinois SAFE CCS Act, emphasizing state-level accountability, prohibits project operators from implementing CCS without meeting additional state-level requirements and receiving state agency approval. This design is intended to provide clarity for project operators and build confidence in the development and implementation of CCS projects.
Illinois manufacturers, and manufacturers in other states with similar legislation, who are pursuing or plan to pursue CCS and are subject to the requirements of SAFE CCS will acknowledge these requirements and the impacts on project schedule, cost, and scope for the permitting, operation, and post-closure phases as the authors explain in their article:
Additional Resources:
Graphyte is a carbon removal and sequestration firm backed by Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Operations began at its Arkansas-based plant in February 2024. What is notable about this carbon sequestration solution is its price, which is considerably lower and can work faster than other sequestration solutions.
Carbon removal is essential to fighting climate change. Billions of tons of carbon dioxide need to be removed from the atmosphere annually by 2050 to achieve climate change goals, but unfortunately, the world is not on track to make the goal. In the spirit of doing more with less, SCS Engineers supports Graphyte’s new solution to capture more carbon. As a leading environmental engineering firm in the Americas, we are experts in designing and implementing safe and long-lasting solutions that reduce, reuse, or store waste.
How Graphyte’s Carbon Casting Works
By-products of the timber and agriculture industries, otherwise burned or left to decompose, are collected. These by-products are considered biomass, dried to stop decomposition, and then condensed into dense blocks. The blocks wrapped with an impermeable polymer sheet make them environmentally safe and ensure that decomposition does not restart.
Then, the blocks are stored in state-of-the-art sites with sensors and tracers, enabling robust long-term monitoring. Storage sites can serve multiple purposes, such as solar farms or agricultural land, designed to last up to 1,000 years.
Sustainable Solution
Industries and businesses are moving to be as carbon-neutral or carbon-negative as possible, looking at carbon sequestration as an attractive reduction solution because it ticks so many boxes that make it sustainable. It sequesters carbon and does it for centuries while meeting environmental, social, and economic considerations that are extremely important. To be sustainable, a solution’s return on investment must be reasonable so customers can still afford the product or service.
Closing the Gap Between Plans and Results
Many industries and businesses combine sequestration with additional strategies that lower their produced carbons. For example, landfills and municipalities encourage diversion and recycling programs to lower methane and produce useful by-products from a large portion of what remains. Energy audits identify how to run facilities and processes more efficiently and may incorporate renewable energy from organic material, methane, or solar to power facilities.
Carbon removal is necessary to manage Climate Change and ultimately save the planet. Using an upstream and downstream approach, Graphyte offers a safe, affordable, and scalable way to sequester carbon dioxide as North America implements more reuse and recycling infrastructure to lower waste generation upstream.
Additional Resources for Carbon Mitigation and Sequestration
SCS Engineers and a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) state geologist presented a webinar as part of the Pennsylvania Council of Professional Geologists (PCPG) educational series. The educational webinar is timely as Governor Josh Shapiro recently signed Senate Bill 831 into law, creating a regulatory framework for the Commonwealth’s carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS).
The webinar, titled CCUS in the US and a Glimpse into What is Possible in Pennsylvania, Part I, includes SCS geologists from across the nation providing a technical overview of CCUS project planning, permitting, operations, and closure referencing current, active Class VI projects based on case studies. The webinar is available for a nominal fee on PCPG’s website, and professional credits (PDH or CEU) are available as allowed by your licensing state and entity.
The DCNR’s state geologist provides an overview of the CCUS work in Pennsylvania by DCNR for over 20 years, including coordinating with the Department of Energy, other states’ geological surveys, and public-private organizations to explore CCUS in the Commonwealth and neighboring states.
Questions and Follow-Up
During the live webinar, SCS received multiple inquiries from the audience, similar to our clients’ questions. We’ve created a separate video to answer them, which is available on the SCS website at the bottom of the carbon capture and DWI page. We hope you find the videos informative and valuable. Our geologists are passionate about their work and helping clients navigate regulations and implement sustainable projects.
SCS is planning Part 2 of the PCPG webinar series in Fall 2024. If there are topics you’d like to see covered during that webinar, please reach out to PA practice leader Christina Helms, PG, LSRP, at
Pennsylvania Senate Bill 831 and Other States
Our professionals continue to work on Class VI projects with multiple clients across the US where primacy has been granted, or states have regulations in place, including the outlook for CCUS in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Senate Bill 831 establishes the legal and regulatory framework for the Commonwealth’s potential carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS). SB831 provides “for the injection of carbon dioxide into an underground reservoir for the purpose of carbon sequestration, for the ownership of pore space in strata below surface lands and waters of the Commonwealth, for conveyance of the surface ownership of real property; imposing duties on the Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Hearing Board; and establishing the Carbon Dioxide Storage Facility Fund.”
View a copy of the Bill here: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?sYear=2023&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0831.
CCUS | CCS | Deep Well Educational Video Resources:
Published CCUS Resources:
June 26-27 in Houston
Today’s oil and gas technologies such as carbon capture hold significant potential to address future energy challenges. Innovations in drilling techniques, such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, have unlocked previously inaccessible natural gas reservoirs, providing a bridge toward a lower-carbon energy future. Utilizing this technical know-how, traditional oil and gas companies are exploring alternative energy streams like geothermal and hydrogen solutions.
Furthermore, advancements in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies offer a promising avenue for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We can develop integrated energy systems that prioritize efficiency and reliability by leveraging these technologies.
Join SCS Engineers to solve future energy challenges.
Join SCS Engineers professionals at the Illinois Manufacturer’s Association’s Environment & Energy Conference on October 18 at Governors State University in University Park, IL (Chicago south suburbs).
The conference is taking shape. Check back as more details are available.
Meet SCS Engineers at the 2023 FECM / NETL Carbon Management Research Project Review Meeting, August 28-September 2, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Attendees will share knowledge and insights gained by more than 150 Department of Energy-sponsored research and development (R&D) projects from the Office of Fossil Energy & Carbon Management R&D programs, including Point Source Carbon Capture, Carbon Dioxide Removal, Carbon Conversion, and Carbon Transport & Storage. The National Energy Technology Laboratory is also a co-sponsor of the conference.
The FECM/NETL meetings will feature a mixture of plenary, multi-topic breakout, and interactive poster sessions to share research results and provide opportunities for discussion and collaboration on the research efforts, and they will be co-located with the United States Energy Association’s inaugural Carbon Management Technology Showcase (CMTS). (Note registration for the CMTS is separate from the registration for the 2023 FECM/NETL Carbon Management Research Project Review Meeting.)
Click for more FECM/NETL meeting details and registration information
Charm Industrial’s (Charm) $53M deal with Frontier to voluntarily sequester bio-oil underground is an example of early market leadership for alternative subsurface deployment methods in the negative carbon emissions market. SCS was instrumental in developing the pilot programs, initial testing, and regulatory approvals allowing Charm to scale up its processes and deliver on this commitment.
This deal will remove 112,000 tons of carbon dioxide by 2030. Charm’s method involves converting excess organic material, like corn stover, into bio-oil and putting that oil into abandoned oil wells.
Carbon capture has been a focus for Frontier for some time now. Prior to this announcement, they partnered with early-stage startups to remove 9,000 tons of carbon. This landmark deal is a continuation of Frontier’s efforts to spark growth and bring attention to the industry and is one of the largest legally binding agreements to date. SCS is thrilled for Charm and Frontier and this huge step forward. See the recent CNBC news article below for more information on this deal and its carbon offset impact.
An aggressive carbon abatement goal often referred to as deep decarbonization, requires systemic changes to the energy economy. The scale and complexity of these projects are enormous, but achievable in our children’s lifetime. Legal Pathways recently published a legal toolkit Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States containing key recommendations and information from its larger publication to be released later this year. Both are a treasure trove for public and private decision-makers who desire pathways to a smaller carbon footprint.
The slimmer version works as a legal guide for businesses and municipalities interested in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. While each entity may draw on some, but not all, of the publication, it is a significant resource for public and private decision-makers who desire, or are working toward meeting stricter regulatory policies.
The authors identify all the legal options for enabling the U.S. to start addressing a monumental environmental challenge. Decision-makers can use combinations of resources to achieve their desired goals by employing these legal tools.
Thirty-four chapters cover energy efficiency, conservation, and fuel switching; electricity decarbonization; fuel decarbonization; carbon capture and negative emissions; non-carbon dioxide climate pollutants, and a variety of crosscutting issues.1 Each topic area identifies the main legal issues; then covers the options involving federal, state, and local laws.
With enough detail for readers to comprehend pathways best suited for them, the book is written for those who do not have legal or environmental engineering backgrounds. The authors include options even if they are not politically realistic now, recognizing that some may have value over time by becoming a legal pathway.
Get started by downloading this informative Environmental Law Institute publication.
Notes and Citations
1 “Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States,” by M. Gerrard and J. Dernbach, Editors, 2019, Retrieved from https://www.eli.org/eli-press-books/legal-pathways-deep-decarbonization-united-states
