State Proposal to Regulate CCS

University of Montana

GOP bills would set rules for carbon sequestration

Two Republican lawmakers last week outlined bills that would regulate carbon sequestration, the process of capturing carbon dioxide produced by large fossil-fuel power plants and storing it underground.

Sen. Keith Bales, R-Otter, unveiled the details of Senate Bill 489, which would put the sequestration program under the Board of Oil and Gas.

By assigning the program to the board, the state could request primary authority for sequestration from the federal government, Bales said. The bill would require underground monitoring of carbon dioxide reservoirs to ensure against leaks and would establish a fee for each ton of the gas stored. The money would be put in a special fund to cover unexpected costs.

A similar bill was tabled in committee earlier this session by Republicans in a party-line vote, but Bales said he is confident his bill will pass.

The earlier bill would have put the program under the authority of the Department of Environmental Quality and the Board of Environmental Review.

Meanwhile, Rep. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, outlined House Bill 338, which would allow pipelines to carry carbon dioxide under the same rules and regulations that apply to oil and gas pipelines. HB 338 passed in the House 90-9.

Ankney said it was time for Montana to get moving on carbon sequestration, to create jobs and so power plants can sell their carbon dioxide.

“I think we’re way beyond the argument, ‘Is there global warming, is there not global warming,’” Ankney said. “Let’s get on with it.”