OPINION: DC foot-dragging on CCS and primacy hurts Texas economy and environment

The Biden Administration’s bureaucracy in leasing depleted offshore oil fields for carbon storage is troubling news for the energy transition and the economy. As the nation’s leading energy producer, Texas has pioneered the development and deployment of low-carbon energy solutions like carbon capture and storage (CCS) that are generating new investments that will grow jobs and broaden our state’s expansive energy portfolio. 

This offshore obstacle is in addition to the EPA’s ever-growing permitting backlog for carbon injection wells, which further undermines growth of needed low-carbon technologies. Despite meaningful progress by energy companies to make CCS technology a reality, federal regulators continue to drag their feet. It can take the EPA up to five years to review a single Class VI well application, leaving potential projects in the lurch, stymying future investment and slowing progress towards a lower emissions future. 

The State of Texas has applied to the EPA for primacy, a process that would alleviate backlogs by authorizing the Texas Railroad Commission to permit carbon wells in the state. The Commission has the experienced staff and resources to permit wells in under a year using the same rigorous safety and environmental standards used by the EPA.

Louisiana was recently granted primacy and if Texas’ application isn’t approved, we will lose out on investment – and jobs – to our neighboring state. We urge the EPA to move forward with the State’s primacy application to usher in the investment and jobs that belong in Texas. 

Tony Bennett is the president and CEO of Texas Association of Manufacturers.