Sponsors (3)
The bill speeds and clarifies how States take over Class VI permitting—reducing federal duplication and increasing predictability for state regulators and industry—at the trade-off of reducing EPA’s substantive control and potentially raising health, environmental, and fiscal risks where State programs may be weaker.
State governments can assume Class VI (geologic sequestration) permitting authority faster because the bill creates an automatic-approval deadline (~211 days) and requires EPA to transfer pending permits and records to approved States, reducing federal duplication and enabling continuity for utilities and energy companies.
State governments get clearer oversight of EPA reviews through written deficiency lists and timelines, giving them transparency about what needs fixing and reducing review uncertainty.
State governments and federal agencies benefit from required EPA reporting on staffing and resource needs within 90 days, which can prompt adjustments or funding to support timely Class VI program transitions.
Rural communities and local governments face greater risk of weaker or inconsistent oversight because automatic approvals and a prohibition on EPA conditioning approvals could let States assume authority without EPA's substantive review or additional safeguards.
Rural communities, local governments, and utilities face increased environmental risk because faster transitions and shortened federal oversight of complex Class VI wells could allow inadequate programs to oversee geologic sequestration, raising the chance of environmental harm.
State governments and taxpayers may incur new administrative costs because shifting responsibilities to States requires hiring, training, and program development while federal funding to cover those costs is unclear.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Imposes strict timelines, notice rules, and an automatic‑approval backstop for State primacy over Class VI UIC wells, plus EPA coordination and reporting requirements.
Official title: To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to clarify the requisite timeline for making a decision on the approval or disapproval of a State underground injection control program, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 5, 2025 by Daniel Crenshaw · Last progress August 5, 2025
Creates a faster, more automatic process for states to assume primary enforcement authority (primacy) for Class VI underground injection control wells under the Safe Drinking Water Act. It forces EPA to respond within set timelines, to provide written deficiency notices, and to automatically approve a state's application or notice if EPA fails to act and the state already runs primacy for another UIC class with adequate recordkeeping. Requires EPA to assign a state coordinator, conduct pre-application activities, expedite pending permits after approval, transfer records, and report to Congress within 90 days on staffing and funding needs to implement the changes. The rule changes apply to submissions on or after enactment and restart the decision timeline for currently pending applications that have not been approved.