Wyoming Governor Says Wyoming Legislature Can Lead On Carbon Dioxide Legislation

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The Wyoming Legislature has an opportunity to lead the nation in regulating long-term carbon capture and sequestration, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal told the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee today.

The committee is considering legislation that would give the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality the authority to regulate the long-term storage of carbon dioxide. The ability to store that CO2 safely over the long term could be critical

The committee is considering legislation recognizing that surface owners control the underground pore spaces where carbon dioxide could be stored or sequestered.

“There is going to be major transfer of wealth in this country as a result of carbon capture and sequestration, and I would rather that wealth go to our citizens than to the federal government,” Freudenthal said. He noted that the federal government owns less than 50 percent of the state’s surface but more than 80 percent of its minerals.

Freudenthal said the state’s Department of Environmental Quality, rather than the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, should oversee the capture, injection and sequestration of the gas underground since it poses clear environmental protection issues. Furthermore, Freudenthal said the Environmental Protection Agency seems poised to assume that role on the federal level.

“We should not interfere with enhanced oil recovery efforts - they should remain subject to the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission,” the governor added.

In his comments, Freudenthal cautioned the committee to not be sidetracked by discussion of the valuation of carbon credits.

“There is a new emerging market in carbon credits, but their value needs to be decided by the federal government and the marketplace, not the State of Wyoming” he said. “Our concern needs to be the long-term sequestration of carbon dioxide, and the establishment of a regulatory environment that relates to that in Wyoming.”

Freudenthal encouraged the committee to keep a tight focus and to take small, incremental steps in dealing with the complex issue.

“We will be dealing with this for a very long time,” he said.

The governor said he expects the federal government to move in the next few years on the issues surrounding the capture and storage of carbon dioxide. If Wyoming already has a regulatory system in place when that happens, “We’ll have a better chance of defining how the issue is treated in a way that works for us,” he said.

Source: Wyoming Governor

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