Team Update - Forests & Wildlife - November 2023

At the Forests and Wildlife Stewards’ recent monthly meeting, Hudson Kingston of CURE presented on the U.S. Forest Service draft rule that would change the conditional use permit standards for all national forests. The agency proposes to allow one industry to have permanent and exclusive permits for the first time ever. This is meant to benefit the “carbon capture and sequestration” industry, which seeks to bury carbon pollution deep underground using a network of pipelines, pump stations, injection wells, and related facilities. This industry is currently dominated by oil and gas companies that have gained expertise in this area transporting carbon to oil fields in order to extract otherwise unreachable gas and oil deposits. If this rule change goes into effect, these companies may be able to obtain permanent permits to capture and transport carbon pollution through Minnesota forests, ultimately for disposal in appropriate geology in other states or Canada.
 
Comments are currently due by January 2nd, but 140 organizations—including Sierra Club National—have already asked for an extension of time. Comments can be submitted through regulations.gov https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FS-2023-0014 and additional resources to help folks comment will be forthcoming. Comments already submitted are illustrative of the strong negative response this proposed rule elicits with foresters and the general public.