California proposes first rules for carbon capture and underground storage

California has proposed its first comprehensive rules for carbon capture, carbon removal and underground carbon storage, with a 45-day public comment period scheduled to run from October 30 to December 14, 2026. The draft would require companies to disclose project information, monitor for leaks and seismic activity, and demonstrate financial responsibility. The rules are intended to guide technologies state officials consider part of California’s effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2045. The proposal comes as the state’s first commercial carbon-storage project is already injecting carbon dioxide into a depleted reservoir more than a mile underground at Kern County’s Elk Hills field.