Last week, the Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a zoning change and use permits allowing the permanent underground storage of up to 49.1 million tons of carbon dioxide in two reservoirs at California Resources Corporation’s (CRC) Elk Hills oil and gas field. The Carbon TerraVault project has the potential to significantly advance California’s efforts to curb greenhouse gases by capturing and sequestering carbon underground.
As part of California’s most ambitious carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiative, CRC’s project is the first of its kind in the state. It will use about 9,000 acres for capturing CO2, which will then be injected deep into the San Joaquin Valley’s geological formations. The initiative, endorsed by the Newsom administration, represents a cornerstone of California’s strategy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.
During a packed four-hour meeting in Bakersfield, community members and environmental justice advocates expressed concerns, citing potential pollution and safety risks. Opponents argued that the project might disproportionately impact underserved communities in the San Joaquin Valley. Ileana Navarro from the Central California Environmental Justice Network stated that the project would incentivize new polluting infrastructure across Kern County without addressing air quality.
Following the county’s approval, the project awaits final signoff from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which recently approved draft permits for constructing injection wells at the site. The Kern County project and thirteen other carbon capture proposals are currently under review in California.