Washington, D.C. — Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statement after participating in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement ceremony to approve the State of Arizona’s request to oversee Safe Drinking Water Act permitting for all underground injection wells in the state:

“After years of the Biden Administration dragging its feet and delaying approvals of more than 150 applications for underground injection wells, including in my great state of Arizona, President Trump and EPA Administrator Zeldin are taking swift action.

Under the Trump Administration, the EPA has moved quickly to review and approve long-delayed projects. The approval of this project recognizes that Arizona is well-positioned to protect its underground sources of drinking water and will provide much-needed certainty to the fast-growing carbon capture industry while maintaining America’s leadership in deploying these technologies.

President Trump and EPA Administrator Zeldin are advancing conservation and environmental stewardship while promoting economic growth for families in Arizona and all across America.

Today’s approval is yet another example of the Trump Administration’s efforts to achieve U.S. energy dominance and fulfill its promise of “Powering the Great American Comeback,” concluded Congressman Paul Gosar.

“Advancing economic growth and energy production in the United States, while safeguarding water resources, are common sense priorities to Power the Great American Comeback,” added EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “With this proposal, we are advancing cooperative federalism and supporting energy dominance as Arizona becomes the primary regulator of underground injection wells within their state.”

Background:

After conducting a comprehensive technical and legal review, EPA has preliminarily determined that Arizona’s UIC program meets all requirements for approval and the state will implement and enforce a UIC program consistent with the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA is requesting public comments on the Agency’s proposed decision within 45 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register.

The EPA will hold a virtual public hearing on June 25, 2025, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST). Registration for the hearing is available here.

Visit EPA’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) website for more information.

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