Texas’ leading business associations are calling on the EPA to accelerate carbon capture and storage (CCS) deployment – the latest in series of efforts that show states and the Trump administration are eager to boost the technology and capitalize on increased momentum.
In a joint letter sent Tuesday, the business community in Texas urged the agency to clear its backlog of Class VI well applications and grant Texas the authority to permit these wells, which are used for permanent carbon storage deep underground.
The numbers speak for themselves: The EPA currently has over 160 applications for Class VI wells under review -one third of them in Texas- with most applications already years past the agency’s own two-year target.
The letter makes the case plainly:
“By clearing out the massive backlog of Class VI applications and accelerating primacy for the states, the EPA can give industry the clear and predictable framework to do what it does best: invest in America.” (emphasis added)
Trump Administration Affirms Support for CCS
The letter arrives as top Trump officials reaffirm their support to cutting through the red tape that’s stalling carbon capture investment.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright made it clear at his Senate confirmation hearing: When asked whether he would work with North Dakota to advance carbon sequestration, his response was a “resounding yes”. Meanwhile, Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA Administrator, has already pledged to fast-track West Virginia’s application for Class VI well primacy – a stark contrast to the current EPA’s slow-walk approach.
Zeldin isn’t new to CCS. As a former Congressman, he co-sponsored the Carbon Capture Improvement act in 2017, 2019, and 2021, pushing to expand incentives for deploying carbon capture technologies. As he put it:
“There are these power plants and industrial facilities that exist, they are emitting carbon, and they can use that incentive to make that investment. Maybe they are ready to implement carbon capture and storage equipment at their site but they need that incentive and the consequence for their business model, for that community where that business is, and for our country all benefit.”
Meanwhile, Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum – who, as Governor of North Dakota, led the charge for the state to receive Class VI primacy – has also advocated for state primacy as a way to unlock new opportunities. In 2017, he said:
“Receiving approval from the EPA to regulate CCS will benefit all North Dakotans. This approval provides regulatory certainty to the lignite coal and energy generation industries in North Dakota, and CCS offers a long-term solution for the continued advancement of clean coal technologies.” (emphasis added)
Now, as President Trump’s Secretary of the Interior, Burgum continues to recognize the need for carbon capture technologies. During Burgum’s confirmation hearing, he repeatedly touted the benefits of carbon capture.
“I do know that within fossil fuels, the concern has been about emissions. And within emissions, we have the technology to do things like carbon capture to eliminate that. In North Dakota, we can give you a liquid fuel with zero carbon in it for 60 bucks. And so we’re doing that today with carbon sequestration for bio-fuels.”
Under President Trump’s first term, carbon capture took off in the United States He singed the Bipartisan Budget act of 2018, which expanded the 45Q tax credit for carbon sequestration and his EPA approved primacy for North Dakota and Wyoming, expediting permitting and driving investment. Most recently, Louisiana and West Virginia have also been granted primacy.
Yet under Biden’s EPA, the backlog of carbon capture projects has surged to record highs. Today, 161 Class VI permits are stuck in regulatory limbo, with 37 percent of those submitted in just the last twelve months. While the EPA initially aimed to process permits within two years, some have already been delayed for four years – sending a clear message to businesses: don’t hold your breath.
Bottom Line: The Trump Administration appears ready to cut through the EPA’s gridlock, accelerate permitting, and unlock the full potential of carbon capture – and states like Texas are eager to capitalize on the momentum. With top officials like Wright, Zeldin and Burgum committed to unleashing investment, the United States . is poised to take full advantage of this proven technology. The only thing standing in the way? Regulatory roadblocks from the past administration.
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