Carbon Capture Tech Draws The Attention Of State Lawmakers, Advocates
Several projects are planned in the state, some legislators are looking to regulate to ensure the safety of people who live near pipes or have ponds.
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"We cannot leave this without a meaningful regulation," said the representative. Anne Williams, from Chicago, in an interview.
Williams is the chairman of the Illinois House Energy and Environment Committee. He helped lead a quadruple hearing with House and Senate committees on Monday to discuss carbon capture technology.
"I don't see this as a solution to the climate crisis," Williams said. "I see this as a step on the road."
Sally Greenberg was among those present at the committee's mock hearing. He is the chief research scientist for the Illinois State Geological Survey and the lead author of the Deep Prairie Research Institute's report on the issue to the General Assembly.
"We have the most favorable geology in the country for this particular task," Greenberg said of the experiment.
The Illinois Basin, which covers 70 percent of the nation's groundwater, has attracted the interest of those working on carbon capture technologies for decades, the report says. The basin is home to the nation's first commercial-scale carbon capture project: a 6,800-foot-deep storage well at Archer-Daniels-Midland Decatur.
The report identified several regulatory gaps at the state and federal levels, including the lack of clear interstate ownership laws, the lack of major federal regulation of CO2 pipelines, and the need for proper storage and long-term storage. follow up. .
Members of Parliament have taken action.
Lawmakers, advocates and industry groups are negotiating legislation to regulate the technology, from capture to transportation to storage. A bill backed by environmental groups has been backed by Williams, although he says negotiations are ongoing.
"We definitely didn't have the final product," Williams said in an interview.
House Bill 3119 would only hold companies that transport or import carbon liable for damages caused by transporting carbon dioxide. It also determines that the owner is the owner of the bottom "bore area". This is an underground space where carbon dioxide is injected.
The bill establishes a fee structure to support the new regulatory authority, as well as requirements for carbon capture projects and the abandonment of reservations.
Arielle Hampton is director of legal and governmental affairs for the Illinois Ward Council, an environmental advocacy group that supports the legislation.
"Many of these procedures are not covered by the federal government," Hampton said in an interview.
Hampton argues that investments in carbon capture are sometimes doing more harm to the environment than good, due to their design or because the CO2 captured can be used to "add oil". This process increases the pressure in the oil well to extract more oil. Williams' bill would prohibit the use of captured CO2 for this purpose.
"If we try to reduce carbon, if we increase net carbon, it won't help," Hampton said.
Other bills, House Bill 2202 and Senate Bill 2153, have support from industry groups such as ADM, CO2 Navigator and the Illinois Manufacturers Association. Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, and Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, supported them. This bill does not regulate the transportation of carbon dioxide through pipelines such as the Heartland Greenway project. The bill would regulate land ownership and establish an application process for companies to obtain land rights from the Department of Natural Resources.
Mark Denzler, director of the Illinois Manufacturing Association, said the two laws the organization supports are "to protect landlords."
Another point of contention between industry and environmental groups is who has regulatory authority over the pipeline.
At the federal level, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration sometimes provides regulatory oversight of CO2 pipelines that cross state lines. Last spring, the administration began the process of creating new pipeline safety regulations, although that process could take years.
The legislation is in response to the 2020 CO2 pipeline explosion near Satartia, Mississippi, which hospitalized dozens of people and displaced hundreds.
Navigator, a proposed pipeline operator and industry leader in Illinois, supports the second bill.
"Other states in the United States that have the physical characteristics required for geological sequestration have adopted concepts similar to those outlined in HB 2202," the company said in a statement to the Illinois Capitol News. "This action sets the stage for the success of a major project to attract CCUS Illinois investments and meet our state's environmental goals, which is why we support HB 2202."
Monday's joint hearing is a "case hearing," meaning no voting.
The potential pipeline is controversial
The Heartland Greenway Pipeline Navigator CO2 is a 1,300 kilometer pipeline that crosses five states and transports carbon dioxide for storage or final use. The Illinois portion of the project includes fourteen Midwestern counties. It is one of at least four Illinois projects submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Several local residents and landowners opposed the development. Among the things to worry about: the explosion of the pipe and the risk of water contamination at the end of the pipe. Karen Brocklesby, a Christian County resident who has offered to sell a porous CO2 storage facility under her family's farm, spoke to lawmakers on Monday.
"Long after the project was completed, it took more than 100 years for the CO2 to solidify in the rock," Brocklesby said. "For our children and grandchildren, their water, their land, their livelihoods and their industrial profits will be at risk."
Under a 2011 state law, pipelines must receive a certificate of authority from the Illinois Board of Trade. In February, Navigator filed an expanded application, adding 42 miles of pipeline to the previous application. The ICC's final decision is expected in January next year.
While Navigator did not respond to questions about the matter, they said they plan to follow all relevant guidelines, including PMSA safety rules.
"Our corporate technical team works closely with our federal regulators, the US Environmental Protection Agency, regulatory agencies and the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on pipeline design, construction and operation," the company said. . "What we want is our objective, and in many cases it exceeds these requirements. If PMSA sets new requirements and we have to comply with safety."
Capitol News is a nonprofit news service covering Illinois state government. It was distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio stations and television stations across the country. Mainly from Robert R. The McCormick Foundation, with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and the Southern Illinois Editors Association, is funded by the Illinois Press Foundation.
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