"Texas has seen surging interest from companies hoping to bury carbon dioxide in its oilfields, putting the state at the vanguard of a government-subsidized program to fight climate change.

But pumping CO2 into the ground could exacerbate earthquakes and well blowouts already happening in the Permian Basin as Texas struggles to manage wastewater disposal, potentially undermining public support.

"Without legitimate oversight of underground injection in Texas, we expect more geyser-like well blowouts, sinkholes, leaks from plugged and unplugged wells, and injection-induced earthquakes," said Virginia Palacios, executive director of Commission Shift, a Texas watchdog group pushing for tougher oversight of the oil and gas industry.

Such consequences have rarely happened as a result of CO2 injection over the decades the technology has been deployed. The unprecedented vast volume of carbon now proposed for burial, however, worries activists and researchers."

Valerie Volcovici and Leah Douglas report for Reuters December 13, 2024. [2]