Kern County judge rules CRC Carbon TerraVault carbon capture approval violated CEQA

A Kern County Superior Court judge ruled that the environmental review for California Resources Corporation's Carbon TerraVault I carbon capture and storage project at Elk Hills did not meet California Environmental Quality Act requirements. The court said the environmental impact report did not adequately examine potential impacts from industries expected to supply carbon dioxide to the facility. The project had already begun injecting CO2 this year, and CRC said it will pursue legal options. Carbon TerraVault is one of California's first operating CCS facilities, so this decision could affect how future capture projects are permitted in the state. The ruling is not final, and county officials are reviewing it. For anyone tracking carbon capture policy, the key issue is whether CEQA reviews must cover the full upstream industrial chain feeding the storage site, not just the injection operation itself.