WGA In-Person Luncheon ~ Julia Zohner, Class VI CO2 Injection

Abstract

A sixth Underground Injection Control well class was created by the USEPA in 2010 for CO₂ injection. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) that expanded the Section 45Q tax credit is spurring the first wave of commercial Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage projects. These tax credits have allowed CCUS to build upon and start evolving from the academic/research phase. CCUS is a new repurposing of preexisting skills, processes, and technologies, many of which have been around for decades. Skill sets built in finance, energy, legal, land, engineering, geology, environmental, and academia are necessary to execute a successful project. This presentation will focus on Class VI permitting requirements for site characterization, modeling, and long-term monitoring including analyses of cores, logs, geochemistry, geomechanics, and geophysics.

Bio

Julia Zohner is a Class VI technical geologist supporting permitting of regional sequestration hubs, the Geology Director of Operations for a project team executing two Class VI projects at ethanol plants, and is a regulatory and geologic consultant. Her undergraduate education was in Environmental Studies focusing on technical skills and socio-environmental issues. Julia started working in the energy sector at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and was involved in the regulatory transition from traditional and coal bed methane wells to horizontal drilling. She has undertaken additional undergraduate and graduate coursework to become a licensed geologist. For the last 15 years she has been providing policy, regulatory and technical guidance and deliverables for clients in the energy sector. Julia’s specialty is permitting with a focus on disposal and injection wells, which translated to working in carbon sequestration. She lives with her husband, Jake, their daughter, and macaw in Casper.