EPA Greenlights Second-Ever Marine Carbon Removal Pilot Off Louisiana Coast

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued only its second-ever permit under the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), authorizing a marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) pilot project off the coast of Louisiana. The permit goes to Houston-based Carboniferous, Inc., a startup working to advance ocean-based carbon removal by sinking biomass into deep-sea environments.

Under the approved plan, Carboniferous will transport and place up to 20 biomass packages onto the seafloor within a 3.14 square mile study area in the Orca Basin, a 154 square mile anoxic, hypersaline basin sitting 2,200 meters below the ocean surface on the continental shelf in the Gulf of America. epa The site is roughly 168 miles southwest of Raccoon Island, Louisiana.

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Each biomass package will hold up to 1 metric ton of compressed sugarcane bagasse, bound together with burlap bags, manila rope, and bailing twine, and attached to a steel anchor. A Sampler System, a steel frame fitted with scientific monitoring equipment, will be connected to each package to collect seawater samples from the surrounding area.

Biomass deployment is expected to begin in September 2026 and run through February 2028. carbonherald The biomass packages and anchors will remain on the seafloor after the research concludes.

A Rare Federal Permit for Ocean Carbon Research

This is only the second time the EPA has issued an MPRSA research permit of this kind, following a 2024 authorization for the LOC-NESS Wilkinson Basin Study. carbonherald That rarity makes this a notable moment for the mCDR field.

The EPA's review process was thorough. After completing interagency coordination and consultation, and reviewing all public comments, the EPA determined that the disposition of materials would not unreasonably degrade or endanger human health, welfare, or amenities, the marine environment, ecological systems, or economic potentialities.

The permit application was filed on May 13, 2025, and the agency held a public listening session on June 25, 2025, during a public comment period that ran from June 12 to July 14, 2025. epa A second data-solicitation period followed from September to October 2025 before the permit was formally issued in March 2026.

mCDR Gaining Ground Despite Political Headwinds

The permit issuance comes even as the EPA has quietly removed sections of its website explaining the potential climate benefits of mCDR technologies, part of a broader pattern of federal agencies removing climate-related content under President Trump's second term.

Despite that backdrop, mCDR has continued to attract bipartisan support. Earlier this year, Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Paul Tonko, Jenniffer González-Colón, and Senator Brian Schatz introduced the Removing and Sequestering Carbon Unleashed in the Environment and Oceans Act (ReSCUE Oceans Act), a bipartisan bill aimed at accelerating mCDR research in the U.S.

Nonprofit Carbon180 welcomed the permit, noting that mCDR is an emerging field and that permitted, monitored research is key to understanding how ocean-based approaches can eventually be scaled for meaningful carbon removal.

About Carboniferous, Inc.

Carboniferous, Inc. is a Houston-based carbon removal company focused on marine-based sequestration approaches. Its research project in the Orca Basin represents one of the first permitted, monitored pilot deployments of biomass-based ocean carbon removal in U.S. waters.