Lily Barkau is the Groundwater Section Manager of the Water Quality Division at the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and has been with WDEQ for 18 years.  In her current role at WDEQ, she oversees groundwater quality assessments across the State.  She worked on the UIC Class VI primacy application with Wyoming receiving primacy of the Class VI program in 2020.  She is a Board Member for the Groundwater Research and Education Foundation and was recently appointed to the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Federal Lands CCS Permitting Task Force. 

Ms. Barkau holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Wichita State University and a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.  She is also a licensed Professional Geologist in Wyoming.  

Wyoming Geological Association, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, October 11, 2024 Presentation for the Wyoming Geological Association:

Wyoming Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration Regulations and Projects

Wyoming has been and continues to be one of the leaders in carbon capture and sequestration regulations with legislation dating back to 2009.  In 1983, Wyoming received primacy of Underground Injection Control Class I through V wells. Already having primacy of five well classes, Wyoming applied for primacy of Class VI wells in 2018 and was the second state to receive primacy of Class VI wells in 2020 for the purposes of long-term storage of carbon dioxide, also known as geologic sequestration.   Primacy programs are established pursuant to Section 1422 of the SDWA which requires applicants to meet EPA’s minimum requirements for UIC programs, including a demonstration that the state has: (1) jurisdiction over underground injection; (2) regulations that meet the federal requirements for 1422 programs; and (3) the necessary administrative, civil, and criminal enforcement penalty remedies pursuant to 40 C.F.R. § 145.13 authorities.  Without primacy, operators work with EPA to obtain permits.   Three states currently have primacy of Class VI wells; North Dakota being the first, followed by Wyoming, and in December 2023, Louisiana. Since receiving primacy of Class VI wells, Wyoming has been active in working with interested parties to complete Class VI permit applications with the first three Class VI permits to construct issued in December 2023.  This presentation will provide information on Wyoming regulations for CCUS, the permitting process, and concluding with a status of projects for CCS to date.