Biden proposes CO2 pipeline standards that Trump could negate
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Federal pipeline safety regulators have proposed stronger standards for carbon-dioxide pipelines in the Biden administration's waning days.
Why it matters: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's proposed rule is a long-awaited effort to address safety concerns around pipelines needed to scale up carbon capture and storage projects.
- The rule could be easily swept aside by the incoming Trump administration, which has sought to roll back Biden climate regulations.
- Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — nominated to lead the Interior Department and chair a new National Energy Council — has called his state's carbon storage capacity a "geologic jackpot" and oversaw the route approval in November of a major CO2 pipeline project.
What's inside: PHMSA proposed a set of new requirements, such as establishing design, installation, operation, maintenance, and reporting requirements for CO2 gas pipelines.
- The rule proposes to set new requirements for pipeline operators converting existing pipelines to transport CO2 in different phases.
- It would also mandate operators provide training to emergency responders and do more to communicate with the public during an emergency.
Flashback: The rules were spurred in part by a 2020 CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Miss., that sickened dozens of people.
- PHMSA announced it would pursue a CO2 pipeline rule-making in 2022 when it released its investigation of that incident. (PHMSA finalized a $2.9 million penalty, its second-largest ever, on pipeline operator Denbury one year later.)
- "The requirements will be "the strongest, most comprehensive standards for carbon dioxide transportation in the world," said PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown.
The big picture: Roughly 5,000 miles of carbon dioxide pipelines exist today, mostly moving carbon dioxide to enhance oil drilling operations.
- A December 2020 Princeton University study projected 65,000 miles of carbon dioxide pipelines will be needed by 2050 to meet net-zero emissions goals.
