Colorado ponders storing carbon in defunct oil and gas wells

Workers sift through a bin of charred waste wood at the Biochar Now facility in Berthoud, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Site manager Ben Odiaga walks past a waste wood sorter at the Biochar Now facility in Berthoud, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Equipment operator Matt Odiaga walks in front of a pile of waste wood at the Biochar Now facility in Berthoud, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Kiln operator Chris Tullos works at the Biochar Now facility in Berthoud, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Workers use a high-pressure air gun to spray carbon dust off each other at the Biochar Now facility in Berthoud, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Site manager Ben Odiaga holds a sample of processed carbon at the Biochar Now facility in Berthoud, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Site manager Ben Odiaga works at the Biochar Now facility in Berthoud, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Waste wood is organized in piles at the Biochar Now facility in Berthoud, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Kiln operator Tanner White works at the Biochar Now facility in Berthoud, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)
Colorado State Rep. Karen McCormick sits for an interview at the Capitol building in Denver on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. Colorado lawmakers want to commission a study to see if biochar, a carbon-rich substance that resembles charcoal, can be used to plug the hundreds of deserted oil and gas wells across the state. The material could also be used to filter and absorb pollutants that leak from the wells. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)