Illinois environmentalists, business groups clash over carbon capture pipeline proposals
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Several bills in the Illinois state capitol are designed to create regulations for carbon sequestration pipelines, but not everyone agrees on what the new rules should be.
Environmentalists have been pushing for some new protections for landowners against companies wanting to build CO2 pipelines, but it comes with conflict against several business groups who want the state to let the projects continue.
Two points of contention are landowner protections and safety regulations around the pipelines.
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Environmentalists proposed a bill at a news conference Wednesday that changes how property is viewed by defining that landowners own the ground underneath the property, to give them a larger say in CO2 storage underground.
“The bill includes many regulations that are so critical to protecting our health, safety and environment at every step of the process: capture facility, along the pipeline routes, and at sequestration sites,” Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) said about the bill. “Every step of the process needs to be regulated.”
Environmental advocates are also pushing for a statewide moratorium until federal guidelines are set for the pipelines. Rev. Robert Freeman, the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Urbana, is worried about the number of proposed CO2 storage wells and how it would pollute the aquifer.
“The Mahomet Aquifer is the largest aquifer for Illinois and for many in our community, it is the only option for drinking water,” Freeman said. “If there is an accident, and there will be accidents, what then?”
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Capture Jobs Now, a coalition of several organizations including the Illinois Manufacturing Association, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois AFL-CIO and the Illinois Corn Growers Association, released the following statement supporting carbon capture technology in the state.
“Carbon capture and storage is a safe and proven technology that can serve as an important tool to help the state meet its clean energy goals, all while creating thousands of jobs and spurring economic growth across Illinois. It simply doesn’t make sense for lawmakers to pass moratorium legislation that would hamper the deployment of this technology and interfere with the state’s decarbonization efforts, especially given extensive federal regulations already in place relating to carbon capture and storage.
We urge lawmakers to instead support HB569, which would provide a regulatory framework to advance carbon capture and storage and contains some of the strongest property protection measures in the nation. This includes establishing pore space ownership that currently does not exist, restrictions on surface property access, requirements for pre-access notification, funding for first responders, and compensation for any damage caused by surface activities. In addition, HB569 also creates a long-term legal and regulatory system for supervision and oversight of all CCS sites by the State of Illinois while preserving liability for damages that arise from noncompliant operations. It also requires additional consultation with environmental justice communities to address concerns regarding the storage of CO2 and creates a local first responders fund to pay for training and equipment.
We agree that CCS technology must be deployed thoughtfully and carefully, but policymakers must be weary of proposals that would slow progress on greenhouse gas emissions reduction and risk the loss of millions of dollars in investment, and the jobs that come with it.”
Capture Jobs Now coalition
Last year both Wolf Carbon and Navigator proposed CO2 pipeline that would be partially in Illinois, but both ended up withdrawing their petitions to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
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