California Air Resources Board

CARB has posted Concepts for Potential Regulations for the Carbon Capture, Utilization, Removal and Storage (CCUS) Program. Senate Bill 905 directs CARB to seek public input as part of pre-rulemaking activity for development of the CCUS Program in response to Senate Bill (SB) 905. CARB is soliciting stakeholder feedback on these preliminary concepts.

Read the Concepts for Potential Regulations

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) as well as carbon dioxide removal (CDR) are important strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. CCUS and CDR use technological and nature-based approaches to remove carbon dioxide from the air or from emissions sources like power plants and cement plants. The draft rulemaking concepts CARB is releasing today identify potential standardized definitions for CCUS and CDR, as well as initial regulatory concepts for reporting, monitoring, financial responsibility, and protocols that further support CCUS and CDR inclusion in California's climate policies.

CARB is soliciting feedback on Concepts for Potential Regulations for the Carbon Capture, Removals, Utilization, and Storage Program:

Submit a Comment                                                                

• Written comments will be accepted for 30 days, through June 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time)
• Kindly reference the proposed section number within the Concepts for Potential Regulations relevant to each comment submitted (e.g., § 95700 through § 95706) 
• We also welcome any additional feedback that respondents feel is important for staff to consider regarding the implementation of SB 905.
• Submittals will be publicly posted for transparency. Please note, submissions may take several business days to appear publicly
• View submitted comments

Background:

Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) 1279 (Muratsuchi, 2022) and Senate Bill (SB) 905 (Caballero, 2022) to accelerate California’s climate action. These two pieces of legislation recognize the need to drastically reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century and head off the worst impacts of climate change.  

AB 1279 establishes the state’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality no later than 2045 and requires CARB to identify and implement policies and strategies that enable the removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies. Further, the 2022 Scoping Plan Update identified transitioning away from the combustion of fossil fuels, along with the critical need for CCUS/CDR, as essential to achieving California’s ambitious climate goals. 

SB 905 requires CARB to create the CCUS Program to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and viability of CCUS and CDR projects and technologies, to ensure that CCUS and CDR projects meet certain monitoring, reporting, and financial responsibility requirements, and to provide other specified program elements.