Carbon TerraVault VIII's Five-Well Hub Enters EPA Review

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posted the Class VI permit application for Carbon TerraVault VIII. The filing reveals a five-well carbon storage hub now in administrative review. EPA Region 9 updated the listing on October 23, 2026. The next milestone is an EPA completeness determination, which opens technical review.

>> In Other News: [x](x)

What Did EPA Post About Carbon TerraVault VIII?

EPA Region 9 added CTV VIII to its public Class VI application table, with materials last updated on October 23, 2026. The entry confirms five proposed injection wells and a multi-source hub design.

The applicant is California Resources Corporation (CRC), a Long Beach, California energy and carbon management company. It develops storage through Carbon TerraVault, its carbon capture and storage business. EPA records show the application was submitted on September 30, 2026.

CRC has proposed about 57 million metric tons of total storage capacity for the project. That figure places CTV VIII alongside earlier Carbon TerraVault vault filings across the San Joaquin and Sacramento basins.

What the Listing Keeps Confidential

EPA lists the exact location and the proposed injection volume or rate as confidential business information (CBI). Federal rules under 40 C.F.R. Part 2, Subpart B govern how EPA handles those claims.

How Does CTV VIII Compare With CRC's Other Hub Filings?

CTV VIII proposes five injection wells, the fewest among CRC's three hub applications on EPA's Region 9 table. EPA describes each hub as collecting CO2 from multiple sources over time.

Every Class VI well needs its own individual application and permit, according to EPA. That means CTV VIII involves five separate well permit decisions.

Project	Submitted	Location	Wells	Proposed Volume	EPA Status
CTV VI	July 31, 2024	Fresno County	7	101.5 million metric tons over 30 years	Administratively complete, September 20, 2024
CTV VII	February 26, 2026	South Coles Levee, Kern County	6	27.4 million metric tons over 19 years	Administrative review
CTV VIII	September 30, 2026	Confidential	5	Confidential (CBI)	Administrative review

Completeness timing has varied across CRC filings. CTV VI moved from submission to administrative completeness in 51 days during 2024, based on EPA Region 9 records. CTV IV took 69 days in 2023.

Monitoring plans also become binding at the draft stage. EPA writes the Class VI Project Plans into each draft permit as enforceable conditions, a step that shapes long-term CO2 monitoring programs at storage sites.

What Has to Happen Before CTV VIII Could Inject CO2?

CTV VIII must clear five EPA review stages before any well can be permitted. Construction approval and a final injection authorization follow after that.

EPA's Class VI dashboard lays out the review sequence:

1. Completeness review, where CTV VIII sits today
2. Technical review, including formal requests for additional information
3. Draft permit preparation, if the site meets Class VI requirements
4. Public comment period on the draft permits
5. Final permit decision for each well

CRC listed further conditions when it received its first Class VI permits in December 2024. They included a 30-day window for petitions to EPA and EPA approval of completed wells and surface facilities. A final EPA authorization to inject came last.

EPA describes a hub as a project that collects CO2 from multiple sources over time. Carbon TerraVault has also pursued a California direct air capture hub through a consortium selected for U.S. Department of Energy funding.

EPA says review timing depends on project complexity and the quality of the submitted application. The first public signal will be a status change on the Region 9 listing.

>> RELATED: Conestoga Energy Submits Class VI Carbon Capture & Sequestration Permit Application to EPA Region 7

How Busy Is EPA's Class VI Queue?

EPA had Class VI applications pending for 44 projects, covering 142 individual wells, as of September 2026, according to the Congressional Research Service. Filed after that count, CTV VIII adds five more wells.

CRC holds an 88% share of California Class VI wells, according to its third-quarter 2026 investor presentation. The same deck puts its share of wells under EPA-led review nationwide at 36%.

Permit volumes keep growing elsewhere too. Decarbonfuse tracked how CCS permits climbed to 106 earlier this year. States such as Wyoming have also issued their own Class VI permits.

Carbon storage is drawing investment beyond California too. Decarbonfuse has covered deals ranging from industrial capture agreements in Mississippi to public CCS investment in Alberta.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB), the state's climate and air quality regulator, counts storage among its carbon neutrality tools. Federal Class VI review by EPA remains the gate for every CTV well in the state.

The Next Signal to Watch

The next CTV VIII milestone is EPA marking the application administratively complete on its Region 9 table. That status opens technical review of all five proposed wells.

EPA refreshes posted application materials as reviews advance, as the CTV VI and CTV VII listings show. Storage builds elsewhere offer a preview, including Occidental's STRATOS direct air capture project.

For ongoing coverage of carbon removal, BECCS, and corporate CDR procurement, subscribe to Decarbonfuse.com.