The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains oversight of a broad spectrum of underground injections through its Underground Injection Control (UIC) program. This program regulates an extensive range of substances, from municipal waste to oil field waste, hazardous waste, and even carbon dioxide (CO2). This pivotal initiative sets out the required protocols for various injection activities, ensuring they are safely and responsibly conducted to prevent harm to public health or the surrounding environment.
1. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for overseeing a range of underground injections through its Underground Injection Control (UIC) program.
2. The UIC program regulates a wide array of substances including municipal waste, oil field waste, hazardous waste, and carbon dioxide (CO2).
3. The EPA's UIC program sets the required protocols for different injection activities to ensure they are conducted safely and responsibly.
4. The regulation of these injection activities plays an important role in protecting underground drinking water resources from possible contamination.
5. By doing this, the EPA upholds its duty to protect public health and the environment, maintaining safe drinking water and reducing the risk of potential contamination.
As of 2020, the EPA's UIC program managed approximately 850,000 permitted underground injection wells across the United States.
The EPA's role in the UIC program is essential in ensuring environmental safety and sustainability. It ensures that the injection of different types of waste, be it municipal, oil field, hazardous, or carbon dioxide, is regulated appropriately. This is to prevent any potential harm these substances may cause to underground drinking water resources. Thereby, it upholds its mission of protecting public health and the environment by promoting safe drinking water and minimizing the risk of potential contamination.