LOC-NESS Project Receives EPA Permit

Small Scale Research Trial Approved for Summer 2025, Agency Says Project“Demonstrates Scientific Rigor”

 

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Woods Hole, Mass. (April 23, 2025) – Today, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) announced that the LOC-NESS Project, a research project focused on transparently evaluating the effectiveness and environmental impact of a proposed carbon dioxide removal approach called ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), has been granted a permit by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The permit was issued after an extensive review process that spanned more than a year, including two public comment periods totaling 75 days. The EPA determined that the small-scale project “demonstrates scientific rigor” and is “not expected to significantly affect human health, the marine environment or other uses of the ocean.” The decision also comes after WHOI conducted a simulation of the research at a 10-million-liter open-air U.S. Navy facility in New Jersey. WHOI will now move forward with the small-scale, highly monitored field trial in the Gulf of Maine this upcoming summer.

This research builds on permitted carbon removal work around the country, including projects in Long Island, North Carolina, and Washington. Throughout the permit process, the EPA’s consultations with federal agencies, including NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and found that there is minimal potential environmental impact.

“We are looking forward to conducting this small-scale, common sense environmental research, which will help evaluate the effectiveness and environmental impact of OAE,” said Adam Subhas, Associate Scientist in Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry at WHOI, and Project Lead of LOC-NESS. “Over the last several years, there’s been a growing bipartisan consensus for research into carbon dioxide removal that is rigorous and transparent, and this project plays an important role to drive that research forward. We need independent, transparent science to determine which solutions work, and which don’t. We are very grateful to the EPA for their extensive review and careful consideration of our permit application, and we will continue to be in close contact with them as the research progresses.”

Ocean alkalinity enhancement is a carbon dioxide removal technique that works by enhancing a naturally occurring process that pulls carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the ocean, and that de-acidifies surface waters in the process. The EPA permit authorizes the project to slowly add up to about 17,000 gallons of alkalinity, in this case highly purified sodium hydroxide, which is widely used to make drinking water less acidic. Models and laboratory experiments have shown that the alkaline solution will dilute in about 12 seconds and reach a pH of 9, which is lower than the pH of widely available drinking water.

This research, which is supported by multiple philanthropic and federal funding sources, advances critical goals laid out in the National Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Strategy released by the federal government in 2024, as well as a call by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine for research to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a suite of proposed ocean-based carbon dioxide removal techniques. The project previously earned support from leading scientists and environmental organizations during public comment periods.

In the past year, the team also published a preprint study currently undergoing peer review on the measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of the data these trials will produce, which will be made available to the public. All data and publications associated with the project can be found on the project website.

“Our project thus far has included extensive modeling, laboratory work, community engagement, and field research off the coast of Massachusetts in 2023, and the upcoming field trials are the next step,” Subhas continued. “The team has conducted more than 50 outreach events, including with fishers, indigenous communities, and policy makers, all of which has informed the current design of our field experiment. We recently conducted additional research to refine the engineering aspects of our experimental set-up ahead of the field trial this summer. Combined with the results from the 2023, dye-only test, we are confident that the team will be able to better understand how much carbon dioxide is removed from the air by the added alkalinity so that regulators can make more informed decisions about future commercial-scale applications of this technology.”

“The LOC-NESS project stands out as the only mCDR field research initiative in the United States that proposes to operate independently of industry,” added Dr. Kristin Kleisner, Associate Vice President, Oceans Science at the Environmental Defense Fund. “This unique position makes it a critical scientific effort to complement the commercial pilot projects currently underway.”

During the EPA’s public comment period in January, members of the Falmouth Climate Action Network’s Steering Committee noted that, “Scientists know that CO₂ is currently rapidly altering ocean chemistry in a potentially adverse way to marine life, as well as the planet. We appreciate WHOI’s effort to inform the public about the purpose and design of this experiment and believe it is vitally important research for the future of the oceans.”

The EPA’s final permit material included several determinations about the rigor of the project and potential environmental impact, including:

• “Based upon its assessment, the EPA determined that the local, temporary changes in water chemistry associated with the research activities are not expected to significantly affect human health, the marine environment or other uses of the ocean.” (EPA Response to Comments, Page 4)
• “We concur with your conclusion that the proposed action is not likely to adversely affect any NMFS ESA-listed species or designated critical habitat.” (NOAA Fisheries Endangered Species Act Consultation, Page 2)
• “[T]he EPA determines that the Wilkinson Basin Study demonstrates scientific rigor and a strong basis (and need) for conducting the research study in ocean waters rather than in a laboratory or mesocosm.” (EPA Response to Comments, Page 11)
• “The research study was designed to minimize potential adverse environmental impacts while ensuring the permittee’s research goals could be achieved. The environmental monitoring plan for the LOC-NESS Wilkinson Basin Study would include robust monitoring of impacts to water chemistry and biological communities.” (EPA Fact Sheet, Page 22)
• The EPA determined that “seawater pH would be expected to be below pH 9 within 12 seconds” of the alkalinity release. (EPA Fact Sheet, Page 20) Drinking water is widely available with a pH higher than 9.

Key facts about the LOC-NESS research project include:

• Ocean alkalinity enhancement has been rated by theNational Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) as one of the carbon dioxide removal solutions with the highest potential impact, leading to calls by NASEM and other scientific bodies for research like the LOC-NESS project.
• Two public comment periods on the LOC-NESS project received more than 250 comments, including extensive support from independent scientific and environmental policy experts.
• LOC-NESS team members held or participated in more than 50 community engagement and outreach activities, including in-person town halls, listening sessions, and presentations to the fishing community, Indigenous and community leaders, and the interested public, including online webinars, and recently conducted research at a 10-million-liter open-air Naval facility in New Jersey.
• The LOC-NESS team refined the design of their field trial based on feedback received from the public comment periods and the engagement and outreach sessions.
• The approved field trials will take place in the Gulf of Maine later this summer.

 

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About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate an understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment. WHOI’s pioneering discoveries stem from an ideal combination of science and engineering—one that has made it one of the most trusted and technically advanced leaders in basic and applied ocean research and exploration anywhere. WHOI is known for its multidisciplinary approach, superior ship operations, and unparalleled deep-sea robotics capabilities. We play a leading role in ocean observation and operate the most extensive suite of data-gathering platforms in the world. Top scientists, engineers, and students collaborate on more than 800 concurrent projects worldwide—both above and below the waves—pushing the boundaries of knowledge and possibility. For more information, please visit www.whoi.edu.