Senate bill on carbon dioxide wells threatens rural water supplies

The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that will weaken groundwater protections, pertaining to wells engineered for long-term storage of carbon dioxide.

The language in question is buried in the last section of a larger water resources package, titled “Non-potable Aquifer Exemption for Class VI Wells” from the Water Resources Development Act of 2026. This section would direct EPA “to provide for exemptions that allow the use of non-potable aquifers for Class VI wells.”

There are two exemptions in the bill. One applies if “the aquifer, or portion of the aquifer, does not currently serve as a source of drinking water” and “cannot now and will not in the future serve as a source of drinking water.” The other applies if “the total dissolved solids content of the ground water from the aquifer, or portion of the aquifer,” is between 3 and 10 grams per liter, and “the aquifer, or portion of the aquifer, is not reasonably expected to supply a public water system.”

That may sound complex, but here’s the reality: These two exemptions would discriminate against small rural communities and especially harm rural ranchers and farmers, because they could exempt irrigation water and water used for livestock watering operations. The problem is that just because people aren’t drinking or aren’t expected to drink the water, it follows that its content........

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