Texas Approves ExxonMobil's First Carbon Storage Well. Cheek Says Not Here

Texas regulators approved ExxonMobil's carbon storage project near Cheek in September, clearing what could be the first operating CO2 injection well of its kind in the state — over the objections of the predominantly Black community sitting next to it.

The Texas Railroad Commission won federal permitting authority for carbon storage wells late last year and greenlit ExxonMobil's "Rose" project near the unincorporated community outside Beaumont. Companies are now working on 13 such projects across Texas, and nearly a third of 19 originally proposed projects have already been canceled or paused.

The area closest to the project is predominantly Black, working class and elderly. Residents don't trust the company's safety assurances and have formally asked the commission to reconsider.

"We're just shocked that they would want to do this so close to homes," said Douglas Cormier, 67, president of the Cheek Texas Community Association.

What does the project actually involve?

ExxonMobil plans to compress carbon dioxide into an "almost liquid state," pump it thousands of feet underground and let it seep into rock formations, where scientists expect some of it to dissolve into salty water. The company already built three injection wells at the edge of the community.

ExxonMobil has seven agreements with companies to store carbon, with volumes equal to emissions from 2 million cars. East Texas is attractive because of ExxonMobil's existing CO2 pipeline network, favorable geology, and nearby industrial customers.

The permit requires automatic shut-off systems, underground plume monitoring and a 24-hour operator phone line. ExxonMobil also sponsors emergency training through Texas A&M's Engineering Extension Service.

What are the risks residents cite?

CO2 leaking into water can increase acidity and leach metals into it. "Once any aquifer is contaminated, it will remain so," Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers wrote in a 2007 paper.

There's precedent for accidents. In Mississippi in 2020, a CO2 pipeline rupture sent dozens to the hospital; a government investigation found first responders "had to guess" at the risks. In Illinois, injected fluid leaked into "unauthorized zones" underground.

"The community's concerns around safety of any sort of an injection project are valid and real and need to be taken seriously," said Nicholas Saunders of the Environmental Defense Fund — while adding that the need for carbon management infrastructure "is also real."

Cheek residents signed with the nonprofit Earthjustice in July 2025 and fought the permit to a state administrative hearing in March, arguing ExxonMobil's monitoring area was too small.

"That's the reason why we've been fighting ExxonMobil," said Preston Frank, 81, an upholsterer who sees his inherited land as generational wealth. "We don't want them coming in here and diminishing the value of the land."

How did the state get here?

Texas lawmakers authorized a regulatory framework in 2009 and formally applied to the EPA for permitting authority in 2022. Gaining it was "essential for our state's economic future and energy leadership," said Todd Staples of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, which represents 90% of the state's fossil fuel production.

At the September vote, Chair Christi Craddick scolded ExxonMobil for not supporting residents enough — "Give them information. Be there for their safety. Give 'em a fire truck if that's what they want" — then voted yes. Commissioner Wayne Christian voted no, saying he didn't think the project was safe.

Industry backers note Texas has injected CO2 for enhanced oil recovery for over 50 years. "This has been put in place now for over 50 years," said Scott Castleman of the Gulf Coast Carbon Capture and Storage Alliance.

What happens next?

ExxonMobil's second project, "Sunflower," near Nome, is in public comment hearings this week. There, 72-year-old farmer-developer Mike Doguet welcomed it: "I don't see the negatives." Nome Mayor Kerry Abney, 71, put it more bluntly: "Santa Claus came."

With a backlog of projects awaiting approval and newly elected Commissioner Jon Rosenthal joining the panel, whether the commission can build community trust — which Houston Energy Transition Initiative's Sophia Cunningham says will "make or break" projects — will shape how fast Texas carbon storage scales.