Regulatory and policy frameworks for the certification, monitoring, and accounting of activities that remove CO2 from the atmosphere, encompassing both nature-based solutions (forests, soil) and industrial technologies (DACCS, BECCS).
Foresight tracks Carbon Removals developments and surfaces the alerts most likely to matter before they turn into missed deadlines, recalls, or escalation work.
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23 May 2026, 09:14
Source-backed regulatory and guidance signals tracked by Foresight, with the newest developments first.
UK OPRED Confirms No EIA Required for Northern Endurance Partnership CO2 Pipeline Phase I
In May 2026 the UK Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning issued a screening direction confirming that no full environmental impact assessment is required for the first phase of the Northern Endurance Partnership’s CO2 pipeline and associated subsea infrastructure, subject to detailed environmental conditions and a validity window to March 2028. This decision materially advances a flagship UK carbon capture and storage project while clarifying the environmental, monitoring and reporting obligations that operators must meet when installing and operating long-distance offshore CO2 pipelines.
United KingdomNew Hampshire Prohibits Enrolling State and County-Owned Lands in Timber Carbon Sequestration Programs
New Hampshire has enacted HB 1205, effective July 2026, barring fee simple lands owned by the state or counties from being enrolled in timber carbon sequestration programs. This removes public forestlands from potential timber-based carbon removal projects in the state, narrowing supply options and pushing offset developers to focus on private and municipal landowners instead.
United StatesEU/EEA: Delegated Regulation 2026/81 Updates Union Registry for LULUCF; Norway to Amend Climate Quota Regulation
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/81, in force since 27 April 2026, updates the Union Registry to manage LULUCF credits, flexibilities and compliance accounts in line with the EU’s 2030 climate framework and enhanced land-sector sink target. For Norway and other EEA states, this requires aligning national emissions registries and climate quota rules with the new LULUCF accounting architecture and transaction controls, but it does not add quantitative climate obligations beyond those already set in the LULUCF Regulation.
European Union
NorwayUK DESNZ Publishes Further Clarifications for East Coast Cluster NPT Pathfinder CCUS Selection Process
On 8 May 2026 the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published additional clarification questions for its East Coast Cluster NPT Pathfinder selection process, tightening guidance on eligibility and evidence requirements for non-pipeline CCUS projects seeking Teesside network access by 2032. The update confirms that intermediary CO₂ aggregators are not currently eligible, sets clearer expectations for Transition Access Agreement applicants, and may require developers to adjust project structures and documentation ahead of the 12 May expression of interest and 12 June application deadlines.
United KingdomCalifornia Air Resources Board Opens Public Comment on Draft CCUS Program Regulatory Concepts Under SB 905
California is consulting on draft regulatory concepts for a new Carbon Capture, Removals, Utilization, and Storage program under SB 905, with a public comment window from 7 May to 5 June 2026. The outcome will shape future binding CCUS/CDR rules on project definitions, monitoring, reporting, and financial safeguards, signalling an expansion of climate policy tools for high‑emitting sectors in California.
United StatesUK DESNZ Adds EU CRCF Clarification to CCUS East Coast Cluster NPT Pathfinder
On 1 May 2026 the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero updated its CCUS East Coast Cluster NPT Pathfinder guidance to add a new clarification on how BioCCS and greenhouse gas removal applicants must apply the EU CRCF permanent carbon removal methodology. This tightens the life-cycle boundary and biomass sustainability assumptions for eligible projects, so developers should revisit their modelling and documentation before submitting expressions of interest and full applications by the May and June 2026 deadlines.
United KingdomCommission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/893 Sets Annual Net GHG Removal Limits for Member States for 2026–2029
The EU has now published Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/893 in the Official Journal, fixing binding annual net greenhouse gas removal limits for each Member State for 2026–2029 under the LULUCF framework. These quantified removal trajectories clarify what net land-use and forestry performance each country must deliver, shaping national climate strategies, land management policies, and future assessments of progress towards the EU’s 2030 climate goals.
European UnionEU Commission Implementing Regulation Sets 2026–2029 Net GHG Removal Limits for Member States Under LULUCF
The European Commission has adopted an implementing regulation (C(2026)2589) setting annual net greenhouse gas removal limits for each EU Member State for 2026–2029 under the LULUCF framework. This locks in near-term national land-based removal trajectories, tightening climate governance and shaping how Member States and businesses plan decarbonisation and carbon-removal strategies for the run-up to 2030.
European UnionJapan Cabinet Sets 22 May 2026 Enforcement Date and Implementing Rules for Carbon Dioxide Storage Act
Japan has set 22 May 2026 as the full enforcement date for its new Act on Carbon Dioxide Storage Business and adopted implementing Cabinet Orders covering offshore CO2 stream quality and registration of storage rights. This locks in the regulatory start date for large-scale CCS projects and signals that operators and financiers must prepare permitting, injection standards, and registry processes to comply with Japan’s emerging carbon storage framework.
JapanUK DESNZ Publishes Summary of Responses to CCUS Future Network Strategy Call for Evidence
The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published a summary of responses to its CCUS future network strategy call for evidence, outlining stakeholder views on how CO2 transport and storage networks should evolve. The findings signal future policy directions on carbon capture infrastructure, highlighting the need for predictable frameworks and investment conditions that will shape upcoming regulatory proposals and decarbonisation pathways.
United KingdomUK DESNZ Schedules NPT Pathfinder Engagement Event For CCUS East Coast Cluster
DESNZ has confirmed that the NPT Pathfinder engagement event for CCUS East Coast Cluster applicants will take place online on 8 May 2026, providing a focused opportunity to clarify requirements ahead of submissions. This tightens the timetable for CCUS, hydrogen and carbon removal project developers to prepare questions, refine proposals, and align internal resources before the mid-May EOI and mid-June 2026 full application deadlines.
United KingdomEU Publishes Delegated Regulation 2026/285 on Certification Methodologies for Permanent Carbon Removals
In April 2026 the EU published Delegated Regulation 2026/285 in the Official Journal, making binding the detailed methodologies for certifying permanent carbon removals under the new carbon removals and carbon farming framework. This locks in the technical rulebook for DACCS, BioCCS and biochar projects from 7 May 2026, meaning project developers, investors and certification schemes must align design, monitoring and liability arrangements to these methodologies to access EU-recognised carbon removal certificates.
European UnionEU Delegated Regulation 2026/285 Establishes Certification Methodologies for Permanent Carbon Removals
The EU has now finalised and published Delegated Regulation 2026/285, which sets binding certification methodologies for permanent carbon removals under the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) framework, covering DACCS, BioCCS, and biochar routes from May 2026. This gives investors and project developers a concrete, EU-wide rulebook for quantifying, monitoring, and verifying high-quality permanent removals, enabling monetisation of certified units while tightening links to broader climate, sustainability, and environmental compliance requirements.
European UnionEU Official Journal Publishes Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/285 on Certification Methodologies for Permanent Carbon Removals Activities
In April 2026 the EU published Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/285 in the Official Journal, setting certification methodologies for permanent carbon removals under the new EU Carbon Removals Certification Framework. This effectively locks in how EU-recognised carbon removal units will be quantified and verified, so project developers and buyers will need to align investment plans and climate strategies with these methodologies as the framework is rolled out.
European UnionEU Officially Publishes Delegated Regulation 2026/285 on Certification Methodologies for Permanent Carbon Removals
The EU has formally published Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/285, which sets detailed certification methodologies for permanent carbon removal activities under its new Union carbon removals framework. This gives project developers and buyers a harmonised EU rulebook for quantifying and verifying durable removals, shaping future carbon markets, ESG claims, and net zero strategies across sectors.
European UnionCommission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/285 Establishes Certification Methodologies for Permanent Carbon Removal Activities
In April 2026 the EU published Delegated Regulation 2026/285, which sets binding certification methodologies for three categories of permanent carbon removal activities under the Union’s new carbon removals framework, applying from May 2026. Operators planning DACCS, BioCCS or biochar projects in the EU now have detailed rules on quantification, monitoring, sustainability safeguards and liability that will determine eligibility for certified carbon removal units, public support, and participation in emerging carbon-removal markets.
European UnionJapan METI Permits Trial Drilling Under CCS Act Off Kujukuri, Chiba Prefecture
Japan’s industry ministry has granted a second-ever CCS Act trial drilling permit for an offshore CO2 storage area off Kujukuri, Chiba, marking a concrete expansion of national carbon storage capacity. This signals that Japan is moving from isolated pilots toward a more scalable CCS permitting regime, shaping future options and timelines for heavy emitters planning long-term decarbonisation.
JapanAlabama HB431 Proposes Fees and Local Oversight for Carbon Dioxide Storage Wells
Alabama’s HB431 would tighten the framework for carbon dioxide storage wells by introducing per-ton state and local fees from 2027, stronger notice and hearing requirements for host local governments, and a study commission to review fee levels, after passing the House and moving to the Senate in March 2026. If enacted, these changes would directly affect the cost structure, permitting timelines, and community engagement expectations for geologic CO₂ sequestration projects in Alabama, potentially influencing siting decisions and long-term carbon management strategy.
United StatesEU Issues Guidance on Negative Emissions and Carbon Removals for Cities
The EU has issued non-binding guidance for cities, especially those in the 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, on how to define residual emissions, design negative-emissions strategies, and account transparently for carbon removals and carbon credits within net-zero targets. This framework raises the bar for integrity and disclosure around city-level net-zero plans, signalling stricter expectations that will shape how carbon-removal providers, crediting schemes, and solution suppliers demonstrate robustness, avoid double counting, and prioritise real emission reductions.
European UnionMassachusetts Bill S.3040 to Exempt PFAS-Contaminated Farmland From Penalty Taxes Moves to House Ways and Means
As of April 2026 the Massachusetts Senate has advanced bill S.3040, an agricultural resilience package now before House Ways and Means that includes targeted tax relief for farms forced out of production by PFAS contamination. If enacted, this would reduce the financial impact of PFAS‑impacted farmland while expanding funding and programmes for climate‑smart agriculture and local food systems, so affected producers and landowners should monitor the bill’s progress and subsequent regulations.
United StatesThese are just a few of the most recent Carbon Removals alerts. Foresight tracks every jurisdiction, every day — and surfaces only what affects your portfolio, with full citations and evidence.
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Definition
Regulatory and policy frameworks for the certification, monitoring, and accounting of activities that remove CO2 from the atmosphere, encompassing both nature-based solutions (forests, soil) and industrial technologies (DACCS, BECCS).
Industry relevance
Carbon Removals developments can change product scope, supplier expectations, market access, reporting duties, and risk ownership. Foresight tracks the signals early so teams can respond before obligations become urgent.
Foresight tracking
Foresight monitors official sources, extracts structured regulatory intelligence, and maps alerts to a customer's products, substances, markets, and priorities so teams see the relevant signal with source evidence for review.
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