The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it issued four underground injection control (UIC) Class VI well permits to Carbon TerraVault JV Storage Company, a subsidiary of California Resources Corporation, Long Beach, California. Class VI UIC wells are used to inject carbon dioxide into deep rock formations for permanent underground storage. This technology, called carbon capture and underground storage or geologic sequestration, can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere and mitigate climate change, the EPA says. The four Class VI UIC permits are for the first permitted Class VI injection wells in California and are the first such permits issued by EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. EPA says it has determined that the activities authorized under the Class VI UIC permits are protective of underground sources of drinking water and public health as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.