Latest news with #PrairieResearchInstitute
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EPA transfers carbon injection well oversight to Arizona amid growing safety concerns
A carbon injection well in Illinois. Photo via Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Arizona will have total control over regulation of underground wells to store carbon captured from industrial facilities, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday, even as environmental groups have been urging the EPA to halt approvals of the wells. Underground injection wells, often referred to as carbon injection wells, are viewed by some as a way to store carbon dioxide in the earth — but in liquid form instead of the gas that is a driving force behind climate change. However, the largely untested technology hasn't been deployed without its problems, including one pipeline rupture that caused evacuations and leaks at wells in Illinois that have raised concerns over possible future water contamination. And carbon dioxide wells in Texas are expected to cause more earthquakes, blowouts and other geological issues. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Arizona Republicans and Gov. Katie Hobbs applauded the decision to give the power to regulate the wells back to the state. 'Arizona has long prioritized securing authority over underground injection wells, and I'm encouraged to see the EPA take this important step forward,' Hobbs said in a statement. 'Giving the state direct oversight is critical to protecting the integrity of our groundwater resources while supporting responsible economic growth and clean energy development. This decision strengthens Arizona's ability to manage our future and gives us the tools to lead on sustainable resource management and innovation.' The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the state agency that will be responsible for implementing the proposed changes, submitted a formal application to the EPA in February of 2024 seeking to obtain the ability to directly regulate injection wells. 'We remain committed to advancing state-led protection of Arizona's groundwater and drinking water resources,' ADEQ Water Quality Division Director Trevor Baggiore said to the Arizona Mirror. 'Once granted primacy, ADEQ will be responsible for administering the program in Arizona. This will enable the state to directly regulate Class I, II, III, IV, V, and VI injection wells with oversight tailored to Arizona's unique hydrogeologic conditions and water protection priorities.' At a press conference in Washington, D.C., EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin was joined by Arizona GOP Congressmen Andy Biggs, Juan Ciscomani and Paul Gosar Thursday morning to make the announcement. All three applauded the decision, thanking the Trump administration for allowing Arizona to permit the wells. 'This new policy is going to benefit Arizona, and we couldn't be happier,' Ciscomani said, adding that Trump's EPA is keeping its promises of 'cutting the red tape.' 'This is a tremendous benefit and blessing,' Biggs said. 'I've never been able to say 'my friends at EPA,' but I can now.' Environmental groups have been voicing concern over underground injection wells — and even suing over their regulation. In West Virginia, a state that was given similar authority recently by the EPA, a lawsuit was filed that argues the state will not have adequate funding to maintain proper oversight of the wells. That concern is shared by some in Arizona, as well. 'We are especially concerned about the lax oversight with today's EPA, which has been almost weekly promoting weakening of protections,' Sandy Bahr, Chapter Director for the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, told the Mirror. 'There is also concern about the lack of staff at the EPA and the additional proposed cuts that are under consideration. Our drinking water is just too important.' Bahr said they are concerned that the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality does not have the adequate funding to do proper oversight. '(ADEQ) should absolutely say no to these carbon storage injection wells and for other injection wells,' Bahr said. 'They should take a good hard look at them and implement the most protective standards possible to ensure protection of our groundwater.' There are no carbon injection facilities in Arizona and no permits have yet been requested to build any in the state. 'Any carbon injection facility would have to meet the (Underground Injection Control) program requirements, which includes demonstrating that Arizona's underground sources of drinking water are protected,' Baggiore said. While much of the metro Phoenix and Tucson regions receive most — if not all — of their water from the Colorado River, the same isn't true in most of the state, where water comes from underground aquifers. 'It's not a question of whether these things are going to leak,' Abel Russ, an attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project, a watchdog organization based in Washington, D.C, told the Louisiana Illuminator last year. 'It's a question of how much is acceptable and how much is going to be happening.' Although wells to store carbon dioxide have been a major focus, the change also opens up permitting for other types of injection wells. During the fracking process, wastewater is sometimes pumped into underground wells meant to keep the toxic water from contaminating the environment, though it sometimes still finds a way out. Environmental advocates and residents have raised concerns about the impacts of similar methods used for proposals such as helium fracking in the Navajo Nation and uranium mining in the Coconino Plateau that could both contaminate groundwater in a similar fashion. The EPA will hold a virtual public hearing on June 25, 2025 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the proposed change where the public can provide feedback. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
April breaks weather records
April broke records for being among the wettest on record in much of southern Illinois, which experienced an extreme rain event early in the month, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute. Among active April weather was an exceptionally intense rainfall event in the first week of the month that produced 6-10 inches of rain in just four days. The event caused moderate to major flooding on many streams and rivers in southern Illinois, and dangerous flash flooding in several places. Figures in the full blog show the estimated return interval of these heavy rainfall totals according to the Illinois State Water Survey's Bulletin 75 report. While maximum rainfall totals at shorter intervals, like one or three hours, were intense, they were maximally a 10-year return interval. However, the longer duration totals had much higher return intervals, and the 72-hour totals represented truly extreme precipitation. Rainfall, exceeding 10 inches in some places, had estimated return intervals between 25 years and 500 years across most of southern Illinois. Last month was the wettest April on record in St. Louis and Fairfield, and was a top 10 wettest April on record for most places in southern Illinois. Total precipitation ranged from around 2.5 inches in northwest Illinois to more than 15 inches in southern Illinois. South of I-70 ran 4 to 8 inches wetter than normal in April. Most of central and northern Illinois were within 1 inch of normal precipitation last month, apart from areas around the Wisconsin border, which were closer to 2 inches drier than normal. No measurable snow fell in Illinois in April. Many stations in central and northern Illinois recorded trace snowfall in the first week of the month without accumulation. Overall, the preliminary statewide average total April precipitation was 5.46 inches, 1.22 inches above the 1991-2020 average and the 18th wettest on record statewide. The preliminary statewide average April temperature was 53.1 degrees, 0.5 degrees above the 1991-2020 average and tied for 42nd warmest on record going back to 1895. April average temperatures ranged from the high 40s in northern Illinois to the high 50s in southern Illinois, between 1 and 3 degrees above normal. The short periods of warmer weather in April broke seven daily high maximum temperature records and three daily high minimum temperature records. Meanwhile, the colder weather in the first half of the month broke three daily low maximum temperature records and two daily low minimum temperature records. Waukegan was the coldest place in the state last month with an average temperature of 46.7 degrees. Carbondale was the warmest with an average temperature of 60.3 degrees. Outlooks Even though April can give a taste of summer, May is the first month to offer real summer weather. May outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center show the highest chances of warmer and drier than normal weather this month in Illinois. The most recent summer (June through August) outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center show continued best chances for warmer than normal weather, with slightly higher chances of below normal precipitation in western Illinois. Data are provisional and may change slightly over time. For more information about monthly Illinois weather summaries, current conditions, and climate, visit the Illinois State Climatologist website.
