Join SCS Engineers at the 2024 PWS Permian Basin Summit. The Produced Water Society brings together industry-leading speakers such as Neil Nowak to address the produced water issues faced by operators, water midstream companies, and water service providers.
Neil will present “Produced Water Recycling and Evaporation Facilities” as a Roundtable Presentation at the event.
August 13, 2024
2:00 – 3:15 PM
Produced water experts with Permian Basin experience will discuss the existing solutions, technological innovations, and produced water management best practices needed to keep the most productive unconventional shale play in the world pumping hydrocarbons while ensuring sustainable business operations and safeguarding the local environment and freshwater resources.
Join SCS Engineers to solve environmental challenges.
• Carbon Sequestration & Deep Well Injection
• Greenhouse Gas Services
• Oil and Gas Services
Meet with SCS Engineers at the 2024 Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas Regulatory Conference July 30-31 at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center to inform the oil and gas sector on the applicable laws, rules, and procedures for hydrocarbon production in Texas.
Join SCS Engineers to solve future energy challenges like:
Capturing carbon dioxide and injecting it into a Class VI well for permanent geologic carbon sequestration, or CO2 storage, is a practice that industry leaders use to decarbonize manufacturing processes. Manufacturers use CO2 storage to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint. There has been an uptick in proposed projects, both commercial hub-scale and single emitter-affiliated scale, particularly within the last year. The catalyst for the uptick in proposed projects is primarily the associated financial incentives, including federal tax credits and grant monies.
In this educational webinar, Professional Geologist Kacey Garber describes what manufacturers interested in geologic CO2 storage can expect the project landscape to look like in 2024. The video includes a discussion of the following:
Understanding the current project landscape and how and when future project opportunities might evolve is important for manufacturers considering the geologic storage of their CO2 stream, whether through a larger commercial hub or a smaller on-site project.
Additional Resources:
About the Presenter: Kacey Garber is a professional geologist experienced as a groundwater project manager for active and closed industrial client sites. Her responsibilities include groundwater monitoring and statistical analyses; reports and permit applications; designing sampling and analysis plans; special groundwater studies; and conducting groundwater well construction planning and design. She has also been involved in PFAS work groups and publishes on the topics of UIC and geologic carbon sequestration.
SCS Engineers is a Bronze Sponsor of Air & Waste Management Association’s 117th ACE 2024 Conference, June 24-27, at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The theme is “Emissions Reductions for Sustainable Energy Futures.”
SCS Engineers is hosting two booths at ACE 2024 – so swing by #102 and #104 to talk with our air and waste management experts and see demonstrations of advanced remote monitoring and control (RMC) software! Talk with Pat Sullivan, Mike McLaughlin, Carrie Ridley, Melissa Russo, Ryan Thomas, Ketan Shah, Stephanie Taylor, Evelyn Martinez, and David Greene about how SCS can find solutions for your air and waste management challenges.
Several of our professionals are presenting, including:
The Canadian Prairies region is a fast-growing area with many important exports including oil and gas, agriculture, and timber. In addition, this region spans many latitudes and encompasses many biomes including Grassland, Parkland, Foothills, Boreal Forest, Rocky Mountains, and the Canadian Shield. With this diversity in ecosystems and major exports comes a plethora of challenges. A calculated balance between resource development, social responsibilities, and environmental stewardship is needed; this makes the region a hotspot for emissions reductions and technological innovations.
Calgary is excited to host ACE 2024, bringing industry, academia, and policymakers together so that we can learn, collaborate, and most importantly, improve environmental knowledge and decision-making in this unique landscape which is at the forefront of global change. Alberta’s industries are constantly adapting, creating, and incorporating new technologies for responsible and sustainable development, with a focus on renewable and alternative resources. The global community will find Calgary, Alberta, and Canada a nexus for emerging ideas, innovations, and solutions in the field of environmental stewardship that are applicable worldwide.
Online registration is now open! Click here for more conference details
We hope to see you there!
Carbon management often takes a holistic approach, combining one or more environmental solutions. The CO2 experts at SCS Engineers recommend looking at Graphyte’s hybrid technology approach for carbon casting, a new approach to carbon removal that leverages readily available biomass. The solution is backed and incubated by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Here’s how it works…
Learn more about sustainable carbon management, carbon casting, carbon sequestration, and carbon reduction verification.
SCS Engineers explains how site characterization provides groundwater protection during carbon dioxide injection. Geologist Lindsey Hawksworth discusses the process by which the EPA permits Class VI wells for carbon storage and sequestration. She takes viewers through the steps of determining if a proposed project site has a suitable injection zone to receive carbon dioxide and a confining zone that prevents fluid movement out of the injection zone. Her guidance may help viewers determine if their Class VI wells operate as permitted. And, importantly, it helps detect risks that may lead to groundwater endangerment and potential reevaluation of the area of review where potential threats may exist. Spend 10 minutes with this sharp young professional!
Meet Lindsey Hawksworth, an SCS Project Professional. Lindsey provides groundwater sampling and monitoring, permitting, and field services management for groundwater protection. If you want to work with smart people like Lindsey, visit SCS Engineers. Reach out to her at or on LinkedIn with comments and questions.
See the SCS Engineers’ library of Clean Air and Greenhouse Gas Reduction videos for more educational content from our professionals. Visit our Carbon Sequestration & Deep Well Injection site where you’ll find more information about how to permanently isolate fluids and gases in deep geologic formations to ensure these materials stay there and don’t impact useable resources or the environment.
Capturing carbon dioxide and injecting it into a Class VI well for permanent geologic (carbon) sequestration, or CO2 storage, is a technology that industry leaders are using to decarbonize manufacturing processes. Utilizing CO2 storage allows manufacturers and industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints. The complexity of carbon sequestration projects can vary widely depending on your facility’s location.
In this 10-minute educational video, Geologist Kacey Garber describes the benefits and considerations of assessing the feasibility of carbon sequestration before entering the permitting process of a full-scale project. The resulting feasibility study helps develop your facility’s safest and most economical CO2 storage project.
The historical use of other injection well classes demonstrates the utility of injection wells for safe and permanent disposal or sequestration of fluids and GHG. As a result, large areas of the U.S. host viable CO2 storage resources. However, as Kacey explains, never assume that any given location is suitable for a Class VI injection well.
CO2 storage projects are a multi-decade commitment with significant technical, regulatory, and financial complexities. As such, industries must understand the financial impacts of a sequestration project, the regulatory framework, and the geologic suitability for Class VI injection in a given project location.
Additional Resources:
Injection well technologies have stored fluids and gases below protected drinking water aquifers for over half a century. When properly sited, designed, and operated, injection wells are a safe and responsible environmental management option for industries seeking permanent disposal of liquid and emission byproducts. Using two types of deep injection wells, some with environmental stewardship and federal tax credits available, SCS Engineers explains.
Hydrogeologist and licensed Professional Geologist Stephanie Hill provides a plain language overview of how EPA-approved injection wells work, a simplified graphic to show where injection wells are useful, and the associated costs and time to implement an operational system using Class I wells for deep injection of liquids and Class VI wells for sequestering carbon dioxide.
Byproducts include industrial wastewater or leachates, among others, and, importantly, sequestering carbon dioxide to reduce greenhouse gases. With the rise of transportation costs and water treatment plant restrictions, more industries seek certainty to support business and environmental longevity. Consequently, there is an increasing interest in using injection well systems to manage waste liquids and leachate. The operation of injection wells permanently sequesters industrial byproducts and is a federal and state-preferred technology to protect underground drinking water sources.
SCS Carbon Sequestration and Deep Well Injection team co-leader Stephanie Hill explains how operating an injection well system at your facility may help insulate your business from increasing disposal costs and serves as a responsible environmental management option.
Additional Resources:
SCS Engineers is thrilled to welcome Carrie Ridley to the Wichita, Kansas, office. Carrie is a licensed professional geologist joining us from the Kansas Geological Survey, where she held Project Manager and Principal Investigator roles for Department of Energy projects. These projects focused on Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, and investigation into Critical Minerals.
Prior to that, she spent four years as the Geology and Well Technology Chief within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There, she managed the federally designated UIC 1422 program, the Underground Hydrocarbon Storage and Water Well Contractors programs. Prior to UIC work, she worked for six years with the RCRA program in the Bureau of Waste Management as a project manager. Carrie spent ten years with the Kansas Department of Transportation in the Topeka Geology office to begin her career after receiving her MS degree from Kansas State University.
Carrie brings extensive knowledge of state and federal funding, project development, and contracting programs. We are excited to have her join our Deep Well Injection and Carbon Sequestration team.
Monte Markley, our Deep Well and Carbon Sequestration National Expert states, “We are excited to have Carrie join SCS; her extensive knowledge of the UIC universe will benefit our clients and further strengthen our team.”
If you’d like to work with experts such as Carrie Ridley on work to preserve our quality of life – visit SCS.
Taking a Critical Step Towards Net Zero Emissions Using Carbon Sequestration
The picturesque California Delta, often referred to as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, is emerging as a geological sweet spot in California’s ambitious journey toward reaching net zero carbon emissions. Its unique geology presents a compelling case for carbon sequestration, an essential strategy in the battle against climate change. Recent developments, including a collaborative effort between SCS and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) on a Class VI permit application for Pelican Renewables – a company formed by Delta landowners and residents to pursue geologic storage – are indicative of the region’s growing importance in California’s carbon mitigation strategy.
Geological Foundations of Carbon Sequestration in the California Delta
The California Delta, often referred to as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, is a vast inland delta formed by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and their tributaries as they meet the waters of the San Francisco Bay. Its unique geology makes it an ideal candidate for carbon sequestration:
California’s Net Zero Carbon Goal and Carbon Sequestration in the Delta
California has set an ambitious goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045, a milestone in the fight against climate change. Achieving this objective necessitates reducing emissions and actively removing and storing carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration in the California Delta can play a pivotal role in this endeavor. The Delta’s geological potential aligns seamlessly with the state’s commitment to sustainable practices and environmental responsibility.
Collaborative Efforts: SCS and LLNL’s Support for Pelican Renewables’ Class VI Permit Application
The collaboration between SCS Engineers and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) that supported geologic characterization, modeling, and CO2 injection simulation for Pelican Renewables’ injection well application underscores the importance of pursuing carbon sequestration in the California Delta. The Class VI permit application underlines Pelican’s commitment to conducting carbon capture and storage (CCS) activities with the highest safety and environmental standards. This initiative is a testament to the growing synergy between scientific research and private enterprise in addressing climate challenges.
References and Further Reading
For a deeper dive into California’s carbon removal options for reaching net zero, “Getting to Neutral” by LLNL is a valuable resource. This publication outlines the various strategies and technologies under research to achieve California’s ambitious carbon reduction goals, including carbon sequestration in regions like the California Delta. The most recent “Scoping Plan” by the California Air Resources Board – the state’s policy blueprint for achieving its climate goals – underscores the need to capture and store CO2 from large sources and the atmosphere.
Our Conclusions
The California Delta’s geological attributes make it an attractive destination for carbon sequestration, a critical component in California’s mission to achieve net zero carbon emissions. Collaborative endeavors like SCS’s ongoing partnership with LLNL and Pelican Renewables highlight the commitment to responsible carbon capture and storage practices. As we continue to innovate and harness the potential of our natural surroundings, the California Delta’s role in addressing climate change becomes increasingly evident and essential.
Carbon Sequestration Considerations & Resources
About the Author: Gary Vancil is an SCS project director and geologist supporting the environmental firm’s safe carbon sequestration and deep well injection practice. He earned his MS and BS in Geosciences with an emphasis in resource geology at Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. Mr. Vancil’s expertise also covers resource development, extraction, and mining sub-surface investigations for the nation’s largest privately held mining company. If you’d like to learn more or have questions, reach Gary at or LinkedIn.
