; (3) research potential environmental, safety, and health impacts in the event of a leak to the atmosphere or to an aquifer, and any corresponding mitigation actions or responses to limit harmful consequences; (4) evaluate the interactions of carbon dioxide with formation solids and fluids, including the propensity of injections to induce seismic activity; (5) assess and ensure the safety of operations related to geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide; (6) determine the fate of carbon dioxide concurrent with and following injection into geologic formations; and (7) provide information to State, local, and Tribal governments, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other appropriate entities, to support development of a regulatory framework for commercial-scale sequestration operations that ensure the protection of human health and the environment. (b) Geologic settings In carrying out research activities under this section, the Secretary shall consider a variety of candidate geologic settings, including— (1) operating oil and gas fields; (2) depleted oil and gas fields; (3) residual oil zones; (4) unconventional reservoirs and rock types; (5) unmineable coal seams; (6) deep saline formations; (7) deep geologic systems that may be used as engineered reservoirs to extract economical quantities of brine from geothermal resources of low permeability or porosity