Carbon capture, injection, and storage is a process that traps carbon dioxide emissions from sources such as power plants, transports the emissions, and then injects them deep underground into porous rock formations for permanent storage.

Removing carbon dioxide emissions is, by itself, positive. However, CCS involves new untested technologies. As such, experts disagree over the actual climate benefits of carbon capture and storage. In addition, CCS technology has the potential to adversely affect land trust fee and conservation easement holdings.

Land trusts with holdings in areas where CCS is emerging are advised to learn about the technology to assess the risks, benefits, and impacts to land conservation.

Threats to conserved lands from carbon capture and storage include pipeline developers seeking rights-of-way, condemnation actions, subsurface use/trespass by abutters, damage to conservation land from allowing the practice and conflicts between mineral and surface rights owners.

Benefits may include landowner revenue generation and potential climate benefits—but each land trust needs to evaluate whether there are in fact any benefits on each occasion of a proposal to use conservation land for carbon storage.