U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comments on Stratos, a proposed project in Ector County southwest of Odessa near Penwell to capture and store an estimated 722,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in three injection wells 4,400 feet underground. The project of Houston-based Occidental Petroleum Corp., under review for two years, would be the largest of its kind in the U.S.
“We know that achieving global net zero by 2050 requires technological solutions that can quickly reduce emissions on a large scale,” William Fitzgerald of Oxy told The Texas Tribune. “Oxy has been safely and securely storing CO2 underground for more than 50 years.”
Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of oil and gas production, according to The Tribune, and the greenhouse gas traps heat and prevents the atmosphere from cooling.
After hearings Wednesday and Thursday in Odessa, Brandon Maples of EPA said public testimony to EPA Region 6 in Dallas will continue online and in writing through Wednesday, Nov. 6.