0

Geologic Carbon Sequestration

The State Land Board owns four million acres of mineral estate and nearly three million acres of surface land. On approximately 2.6 million acres of trust land located across the state, our agency controls the pore space necessary for geologic CSS because we own both the surface and underlying mineral estate. Our agency welcomes applications for geologic carbon sequestration.

Geologic carbon sequestration is the process of converting CO₂ into a liquid and injecting it into underground geologic formations to be stored indefinitely. The best formations for storage are saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs. In 2021, experts from the Colorado School of Mines identified trust assets best suited for geologic carbon storage. Please direct all questions related to geologic carbon storage to Ben Teschner at 303-866-3454 ext. 3313 or benjamin.teschner@state.co.us.

Read about other carbon sequestration leasing opportunities on trust land

#FFFFFF

Forms

Geological Carbon Storage Lease Application

Q&A - Leasing Opportunities

Yes, the State Land Board welcomes leasing applications for all 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.

#FFFFFF

Q&A - Industry

The following regulatory entities provide resources about geologic carbon storage:

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates geologic carbon sequestration in Colorado. View more information about the EPA's regulation of carbon injection wells and the underground injection control program.

Many universities and research institutions worldwide are studying geologic carbon sequestration. Some of the research builds upon the oil and gas industry's work understanding the sub-surface and fluid movement in the sub-surface. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) provides more information about the history of this work. 

In Colorado, the Colorado Schools of Mines has a research group dedicated to carbon capture utilization and storage.