Arizona will now oversee its own underground injection wells, except on tribal lands

The US environmental regulators have given Arizona the power to approve and oversee most underground injection wells within its borders. This means the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will now manage permits and compliance for these wells, taking over from the federal government.

States often seek to manage their own environmental programs, arguing they understand local conditions better than federal agencies. This shift means Arizona now controls how industrial waste, carbon dioxide, and other materials are injected deep underground. It also means the US environmental regulators can focus their limited resources elsewhere, while still overseeing wells on tribal lands.