The agreement provides funding under the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) to alaska oil and gas conservation commission

The Department of Administration's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in Alaska has been awarded a $1,930,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program Grants: Class VI Carbon Sequestration Wells (CFDA 66.486) program. The grant funding will support the commission's efforts to establish a comprehensive UIC Class VI regulatory program, including developing state-specific regulations, environmental justice tools, and a primacy application. The key activities to be carried out under this 5-year award (10/1/2024 - 9/30/2029) include setting up the UIC Class VI program operations, conducting pre-permitting and permitting activities, and implementing public outreach and data management. The intended outcomes are the successful approval of Alaska's UIC Class VI primacy, protection of underground drinking water sources, and reduction of environmental and public health impacts from carbon sequestration activities, with a focus on overburdened and marginalized communities.

The recipient will establish their underground injection control (UIC) class VI injection wells permit program. Activities:the activities include: establishment and operation of a UIC class VI program, class VI regulatory development, environmental justice tool and process development, development of a primacy application, development of general program procedures and resources, initial and ongoing staffing support, general outreach and communication about the program, pre-permitting activities, permit application review and permit preparation, pre-operations activities, and outreach/communications specific to individual class VI projects, reporting to EPA, and data management.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include: alaska-specific class VI regulations, alaska-specific environmental justice tools and written procedures, and a class VI primacy application. The expected outcomes include: successful approval of alaska's class VI primacy program; protection of underground sources of drinking water from endangerment; protection of human health and, as appropriate, environmental effects from UIC class VI activity on marginalized, overburdened, and tribal communities, or other communities with potential environmental justice concerns; reduction of environmental impacts, resource issues, and public health risks from class VI activity in already overburdened communities; and reduction of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and mitigation of climate change. The intended beneficiaries include the recipient (the alaska oil and gas conservation commission), the state of alaska, residents of the state of alaska, and permit applicants in the state of alaska