Michigan House Lawmakers Introduce Bills To Give State Control Over Carbon Capture Permitting

Members of the Michigan House Energy Committee introduced a three-bill package on August 26 aimed at building a state-run permitting system for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. House Bills 6247, 6248, and 6249, led by Republican state Rep. Parker Fairbairn along with five co-sponsors, would shift oversight of underground carbon injection wells from federal to state regulators.

The goal is Class VI primacy, the federal designation that lets a state issue its own permits for CO2 injection wells instead of routing every application through the Environmental Protection Agency. Six states already hold that authority, including Louisiana, Texas, West Virginia, and Arizona, and Michigan would become the seventh if the bills pass and the EPA signs off.

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The bills would hand permitting authority to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), which already received state funding in 2024 to help prepare a primacy application. Supporters say state-level review would cut permit timelines significantly compared to the current federal process, which has a growing backlog of applications nationwide.

Chamber-Led Coalition Pushes The Package Forward

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is backing the legislation through the MI SUCCESS coalition, a group of more than 70 businesses, labor unions, and environmental organizations formed to advance CCS policy in the state. The House bills serve as a companion to Senate Bills 394-396, which cleared the full Senate in September 2025 and are now awaiting House action.

The coalition plans to push for committee hearings in the coming legislative session, arguing that a state-run program would give developers more certainty and keep Michigan competitive with neighboring states like Illinois and Indiana that have already passed their own carbon storage frameworks.

Why Michigan Wants Primacy

Backers point to the state's geology as a selling point. Michigan's underground rock formations are estimated to hold storage capacity in the tens of billions of tons of CO2, and CCS technology has already operated safely in the state for roughly two decades under existing EPA permits. Supporters see the technology as a practical option for hard-to-abate sectors like cement, steel, and chemical manufacturing to cut emissions without shutting down operations.

Environmental groups have pushed back on past versions of this legislation, arguing that CCS extends the life of fossil fuel infrastructure rather than replacing it. That tension is likely to resurface as the House bills move toward committee hearings.

About Michigan Chamber of Commerce

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is a business advocacy organization representing employers across the state on policy issues including energy, taxation, and regulatory reform. It convenes the MI SUCCESS coalition to advocate for carbon capture and storage legislation in Lansing.