Texas’ economic excellence in significant part rests on our all-the-above-and-below energy strategy. We are proud to be the No.1 energy-producing state in the U.S., leading the nation in crude oil refining capacity. With energy demand expected to nearly double by 2030, Texas must forge ahead to meet this challenge and secure America’s energy future. By harnessing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, Texas can address our increasing energy demand, expand production and catalyze our world-class business environment while safeguarding our nation’s energy infrastructure.
Yet, in recent years, our economic prosperity has been choked by Federal red tape as the U.S Environment Protection Agency (EPA) grapples with a massive backlog of Class VI well applications. This bottleneck is stalling Texas’ primacy application to streamline these projects, crippling our ability to harness CCS technology and undermining the Lone Star States’ pro-job, pro-business climate.
That’s why last week, the Texas Association of Business (TAB), along with Texas’ top business organizations, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging immediate action to resolve this backlog. Our message was clear: the Lone Star State is ready to lead the nation in CCS innovation, and bureaucratic delays must not hinder the energy capital of America, its future or our economic security:
“Texas is currently pursuing primacy, a process that began over two years ago. We request that the EPA expedite – and approve – Texas' primacy application. 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.”
Texas is uniquely poised to take advantage of CCS technology, with research showing ideal conditions for this innovation in regions across the Lone Star State:
“Research has shown that the CCS opportunity in Texas is larger than anywhere else on earth. We have the right geological formations for CO2 storage, a world-class, highly skilled workforce, and robust infrastructure primed for the deployment of CCS. However, federal permitting delays are stalling billions of dollars of private sector investment.”
CCS Technology not only streamlines energy efficiency – it is also a proven catalyst for economic prosperity. A recent TAB economic impact study unveils the transformative economic scope of CCS technology on the Texas economy, forecasting significant increases in job creation, tax revenue and immense state and county-level capital contribution and economic growth.
The study found that CCS projects in Texas have the potential to:
Create 7,500 full-time American jobs in Texas, reaching various sectors, from construction and power-line installers to operation engineers;
Contribute $1.8 billion in capital directly to the Lone Star State, driven by both the construction of pipeline networks, storage facilities and monitoring technologies as well as ongoing operations that are essential to safeguarding America’s industrial dominance; and
Increase local tax revenues by $33.4 Million from construction and operations, which provide essential support for local services such as law enforcement and emergency services.
This week, TAB joined a broader coalition of Texas business leaders and local chambers of commerce in writing to the newly appointed EPA Region 6 Administrator, Scott Mason IV, calling for the swift approval of the State of Texas’ application for Class VI Well Primacy.
In our joint letter, TAB and our partners across sectors of the Texas economy make clear that the power of CCS technology, if effectively leveraged, can produce cascading economic and environmental benefits in communities throughout the Lone Star State:
“As the nation’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, carbon capture and storage is one of the most practical, necessary, and common-sense technologies for Texas because it can significantly reduce carbon emissions from existing energy and petrochemical facilities utilizing fossil fuels. These sectors produce critical building materials, petrochemical and agricultural materials, energy generation, and other industries that underpin our state’s economy. By maximizing adoption of carbon storage, the US Department of Energy estimates that Texas can sequester 500 billion metric tons of CO2, equal to 130 years of US industrial emissions.”
We at TAB, alongside business leaders across Texas, stand ready to work with the EPA and other federal agencies to ensure the Lone Star State fully leverages CCS technology to drive economic prosperity, strengthen energy security and create lasting opportunities for future generations. We have the resources, expertise and infrastructure to lead America’s energy future, but we need the EPA to act now by approving Texas’ primacy application, clear the permitting backlog, and unleash billions in private investment – because when Texas leads, America thrives.
To read the full letter sent to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, click here.
To read the full letter sent to EPA Region 6 Administrator Scott Mason IV, click here.
- Glenn Hamer, President & CEO, Texas Association of Business
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