UW’s Righetti Appointed Chair of Federal CCUS Permitting Task Force

The University of Wyoming’s Tara Righetti will serve a two-year term as chair of the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS) Permitting Task Force for Federal Lands and Outer Continental Shelf.

Righetti, a UW School of Energy Resources (SER) professor of law and the Occidental Chair in Energy and Environmental Policies, was appointed as a task force member in April and was among seven representatives from Wyoming selected to serve on the committee. She was named chair for her specialized knowledge in subsurface matters and pore space issues.

In March 2023, the White House Council on Environmental Quality announced the creation of two task forces that are required by the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies Act to provide recommendations to the federal government. The task forces provide information on how to ensure that CCUS projects -- including carbon dioxide pipelines -- are permitted in an efficient manner, reflect the input and needs of a wide range of stakeholders and deliver benefits rather than harms to local communities.

Each task force will bring dedicated and experienced individuals from across the country to fulfill the mission of advancing carbon management technologies in a responsible manner. One task force will focus on CCUS permitting and development issues on federal lands and the Outer Continental Shelf. The other will focus on CCUS permitting and development issues on nonfederal lands.

“Enabling transport and sequestration in federal lands is critical to meeting the nation’s carbon removal goals," Righetti says. "I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to this important topic together with such an accomplished group of individuals.”

Righetti, a law professor, teaches in both SER and the UW College of Law, where her research focuses on governance, property and administrative law issues related to energy development and carbon removal, including on split estates and federal lands. She joined the UW faculty in 2014 and was awarded tenure in 2020.

Regularly sought for her expertise and aid on major energy and carbon storage projects nationwide, Righetti is a renowned expert on U.S. energy law, and her knowledge and contributions to the field of CCUS policy are unparalleled. Righetti is a leading scholar in her field, and has published peer-reviewed articles in both nationally and internationally law journals, where her scholarship is regularly cited.

A Fulbright Scholar, she also co-directs SER’s Nuclear Energy Research Center.

“It comes as no surprise to us that Professor Righetti has been selected to lead this task force,” says SER Executive Director Holly Krutka. “Her expertise in CCUS, permitting and federal pore space issues is unmatched, and she has proven herself to be a preeminent leader in this field. Additionally, she is an accomplished manager, and her abilities build capacity and collaborate across disciplines will be an asset in these important discussions.”