The State Land Board owns four million acres of mineral estate and nearly three million acres of surface land. We welcome applications to lease these assets for carbon sequestration uses not only because it fulfills our mission to earn income for public schools, but also because it supports the state’s Greenhouse Gas Roadmap.
Carbon capture sequestration (CCS) is an emerging field. Current research indicates that CCS is an important way to reduce carbon emissions. We've been partnering with experts at the Colorado School of Mines to learn more about how trust land and mineral estate can play a role.
Opportunities for carbon-related uses on trust assets include:
Questions & Answers
Carbon sequestration is the act of capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) prior to entering the atmosphere, or capturing CO₂ directly out of the atmosphere and permanently storing it. The process is often referred to as Carbon Capture Storage (CCS). If a project can capture CO₂ and utilize it to produce economically valuable products or services, the process is referred to as Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS).
There are three main types of carbon sequestration.
Biological Sequestration: this includes the storage of CO₂ in vegetation like grasslands and forests, as well as in soils and oceans.
Geologic Carbon Sequestration: this is when CO₂ is converted into a liquid and injected into underground geologic formations to be stored indefinitely. The best formations for storage are underground saline aquifers and oil and gas reservoirs.
Technological Carbon Sequestration: this is an emerging field where technology is being used to capture CO₂ directly out of the atmosphere and convert it into usable products. Scientists are currently working to convert CO₂ into methane and water where methane can be used as a fuel for electricity or to power vehicles. Another product created from CO₂ that is currently in development is called Graphene, which is used in electronic devices.
For general inquires, please call our main office at 303-866-3454.
For questions about geologic carbon sequestration, visit our webpage or contact Ben Teschner, Solid Minerals Manager, at benjamin.teschner@state.co.us.
For questions about forested lands, contact Mindy Gottsegen, Conservation Services Manager, at mindy.gottsegen@state.co.us.
For questions about grasslands, contact William Woolston, Field Operations Supervisor, at william.woolston@state.co.us.