West Virginia will soon be free to lease space underneath state parks for carbon dioxide storage.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) approved S.B. 627 last week, granting new authority to an arm of the state Department of Commerce.
The law, which becomes effective July 8, opens up more pore space in West Virginia to potential carbon storage. Sequestering the climate-warming gas underground is one option for developers of carbon capture and removal projects, which either trap CO2 emitted at places like power plants or pull the gas out of the atmosphere.
Morrisey signed the bill to “help West Virginia responsibly advance carbon capture while protecting the integrity of our state parks and securing new economic opportunities,” Drew Galang, deputy press secretary for Morrisey, said in a statement.
