Monday, June 23, 2008 : 10:30 a.m.

Regulation of Carbon Dioxide Injection to Mitigate Climate Change – Technical Challenges and EPA's Approach under the Underground Injection Control Program

Robert Ferri, Frank C. Brock Jr. and Dennis J. McChesney, U.S. EPA Region 2

Carbon dioxide (CO2) from combustion of fossil fuels is considered a principal factor contributing to global climate change.  A measure to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere involves injection of supercritical CO2 into deep geologic formations.  Subsurface injection of fluids into underground formations is regulated by EPA’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program under the Safe Drinking Water Act.  EPA is developing new proposed regulations to address the injection of CO2.  Technical issues and unique challenges posed by injection of supercritical CO2 for long term subsurface storage, and EPA’s approach to regulating CO2 injection will be presented.

The abstract and presentation are developed by officials from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  However, neither this abstract nor the actual presentation have been peer reviewed by EPA.

Robert Ferri, U.S. EPA Region 2 Robert Ferri has worked for the EPA for twenty years. He has been in the Underground Injection Control program with responsibilities in New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Prior to working at EPA, Rob was a Park Ranger. He is also a retired Navy veteran. Rob holds a B.S. degree in geology from City University of New York and a certificate from Columbia University in Conservation Biology.

Frank C. Brock Jr., U.S. EPA Region 2 Frank Brock has worked for EPA for 20 years, 13 of them in the Underground Injection Control Program. Prior to that, Frank worked for 7 years in the oil industry as both an exploration and production geologist. He holds a B.S. in geology from Allegheny College and an M.S. in geology from Louisiana State University.

Dennis J. McChesney, U.S. EPA Region 2 Dennis McChesney is Chief of the Groundwater Compliance Section at U.S. EPA Region 2.


2008 NGWA Conference on Eastern Regional Ground Water Issues