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Evaluating Risks to Human Health and the Environment
EPA-Supported LBNL Reports
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A Review of Hazardous Chemical Species Associated with CO2 Capture from Coal-Fired Power Plants and their Potential Fate during CO2 Geologic Storage (PDF) (69pp., 3.52 MB, About PDF)
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Natural and Industrial Analogues for Release of CO2 from Storage Reservoirs: Identification of Features, Events, and Processes and Lessons Learned (PDF) (66pp., 5.27 MB, About PDF)
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Coupled Reservoir-Geomechanical Analysis of the Potential for Tensile and Shear Failure Associated with CO2 Injection in Multilayered Reservoir-Caprock Systems (PDF) (12pp., 418 KB, About PDF)
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Estimating Maximum Sustainable Injection Pressure During Geological Sequestration of CO2 Using Coupled Fluid Flow and Geomechanical Fault-Slip Analysis (PDF) (10pp., 493 KB, About PDF)
Numerous studies have concluded that with proper site characterization and an appropriate regulatory framework for safe operation and monitoring, geologic sequestration (GS) of carbon dioxide (CO2) can be an effective climate change mitigation technology. While GS is believed to be a safe and effective tool for climate change mitigation, it is important to fully understand potential impacts to human health and the environment that could result from GS activities.
With this in mind, EPA prepared a Vulnerability Evaluation Framework (VEF) (PDF) (85 pp., 2.1MB, About PDF) to systematically identify those conditions that could increase the potential for adverse impacts from GS. The VEF will provide policy-makers, stakeholders, industry, and the public with a transparent framework to evaluate vulnerabilities associated with GS systems.
The VEF, which is based on a review of available GS literature, applicable technical knowledge, and consultation with experts, can be applied to:
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Support the GS rulemaking being developed by the EPA Office of Water
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Assist permitting authorities in identifying data needs, monitoring, mitigation and verification requirements, and ultimately assist in determining site suitability, and
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Provide transparency in assessing vulnerabilities, which will help communicate potential risks and risk reduction strategies to the public.
EPA is also working with other entities, including the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), to evaluate the potential risks associated with GS. For more than a decade, LBNL has provided assistance to EPA’s Underground Injection Control program to better characterize technical and regulatory aspects related to the underground injection of wastes. LBNL has helped EPA highlight scenarios that might lead to waste leaks, assess the implications of undetected faults in injection sites, and evaluate potential impacts of waste injection on groundwater resources. For a selection of EPA-supported LBNL reports, see the text box at right.
In May 2007, EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began a coordinated research effort with LBNL to evaluate the potential impacts of GS on the nation’s groundwater resources. EPA will focus on the potential impacts resulting from CO2 movement outside the site of injection. DOE will focus on large-scale injection into deep saline formations and the potential resulting movement of saline water into shallow groundwater sources. LBNL’s experience in each of these areas will continue to provide significant contributions to EPA’s efforts to understand the potential risks associated with GS.
DOE also provides answers to frequently asked questions pertaining to risks associated with GS activities.