EPA Orders Archer Daniels Midland to Ensure Environmental Compliance of Carbon Sequestration Well in Decatur, Illinois
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final order to Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) to address compliance obligations under the Safe Drinking Water Act for its Class VI permit for underground injection in Decatur, Illinois. EPA alleges the company violated its permit when it failed to monitor the injection well and injected fluid migrated into an unauthorized zone roughly 5,000 feet below the surface.
Public health was not jeopardized by the event and ADM has already started taking steps to be in compliance with the order. For example, the company has already submitted reports detailing the cause of the well failures and the removal of migrated fluids. EPA’s final order will ensure that future injection is safe by requiring ADM to take compliance measures at its well, including implementing certain provisions of the permit’s emergency and remedial response plan for a failure of monitoring well integrity. These compliance measures will also ensure that ADM identifies and implements appropriate remedial actions, submits status reports, conducts an evaluation of the extent of fluid migration, identifies if any wells require corrective action due to the migrated fluid, conducts corrective action if needed, and submits any necessary permit modifications. EPA has imposed strict reporting and documentation measures to ensure compliance with the order.
EPA is committed to safeguarding our nation’s drinking water sources while supporting economic development and unleashing American energy. EPA’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI program plays a key role in our nation’s energy future by protecting underground water supplies and ensuring that underground carbon storage captured from industrial, and energy related sources is safe.
Background
EPA learned of this release of injected carbon dioxide and brine into an unauthorized geological formation 5,000 feet underground in July 2024. The injected carbon dioxide and associated fluid did not discharge above ground, and there was no immediate threat to human or livestock health. Drinking water was not threatened in the area as nearby public water systems draw from the Lake Decatur reservoir or use wells that are less than 110 feet deep. The underground drinking water sources that are used locally are separated from the migrated fluid by almost a vertical mile and two impermeable confining rock layers and are protected from any leakages resulting from carbon injection operations at the site.
On Sept. 19, 2024, EPA published and took public comment on the proposed order, and has reviewed the comments and additional data prior to issuing the final order. EPA’s response to comments can be found in the docket.
To learn more about the Underground Injection Control program, visit EPA's website.