Appeal of U.S. EPA Permit

The Eco-Justice Collaborative has filed a formal legal challenge against the EPA permit authorizing Marquis Carbon Injection, LLC to inject 9 million metric tons of CO₂ into rock formations beneath Hennepin over six years. 

The petition raises concerns about a hazardous waste well 1.25 miles from the proposed injection site, which received over 276 million gallons of toxic industrial waste, including chromium at concentrations 12,000 times the legal drinking water limit, between the 1960s and 2009. It argues the computer models used to approve the permit did not account for that existing contamination. Additional concerns include earthquake history in the project area, monitoring requirements reduced between the draft and final permit, a post-injection monitoring period shortened from the required 50 years to 12, and key documents kept redacted during the public comment period. 

The full petition is available below. Its filing automatically stays the contested permit conditions while the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board reviews the challenge.