West Virginia can now approve carbon capture projects on its own

The US environmental regulators propose to let West Virginia approve underground carbon storage projects. This means the state will handle permits for burying carbon dioxide in deep rock formations, instead of the federal government.

West Virginia is a major coal and natural gas state. It has a lot of industrial emissions that could be captured and stored. Giving the state control over these permits could speed up how quickly carbon capture projects get approved and built there. This shifts some of the regulatory burden and decision-making power from federal agencies to the state.