Central Illinois residents speak out against proposed CO2 pipeline

[March 03, 2023]  By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A proposed 1,300-mile pipeline to carry concentrated carbon dioxide that would run through 13 Illinois counties is being met with pushback from residents of central Illinois.

A section of a map of the proposed Heartland Greenway CO2 pipeline through Illinois
heartlandgreenway.com

The Texas pipeline company Navigator has proposed a 20-inch wide pipeline five feet underground to carry the chemical through parts of central Illinois.

"Utilizing CCUS [carbon capture, utilization, and storage] will provide longevity for biofuel production that will create a positive economic impact for farmers supplying corn and soybeans to the facilities along Heartland Greenway," a company statement reads. "This will create major economic benefits right here at home for our Midwest communities and families for decades to come."

Kathleen Campbell of Citizens Against the Greenway Heartland Pipeline said the group has no political affiliations and is simply concerned with the safety of its communities.

"We got all sorts of people in our group. We don't even ask about political or religious affiliations because it does not matter," Campbell told WMAY. "This is about what is good for Illinois, and this is five states worth of this hazardous waste that they want to sequester in Illinois."

Campbell said the chemical is at a high risk of explosion.

"Well, this is for hazardous waste. Some people confuse this with energy, and it is absolutely not," Campbell said. "This is a toxic, hazardous waste pipeline that is highly explosive."

In January, Navigator proposed the pipeline but later withdrew its proposal. Then in February, Navigator came back with an even larger proposal that runs a high risk of contamination, according to Campbell.

"They are going to be ripping up another 42 miles of farmland and putting even more lives at risk," Campbell said. "It is actually much worse now."

Campbell also pointed to a similar pipeline in Mississippi that had a leak and led to many people being hospitalized.

"There was a rupture before in Satartia, Mississippi and everyone within a mile was sent to the hospital, over a mile actually," Campbell said. "So this is very unlike your gas and oil pipelines."

For more information, residents can visit the Illinois Commerce Commission website and view docket 2023-0161.
 

Andrew Hensel reports on issues in Chicago and Statewide. He has been with The Center Square News since April of 2021 and was previously with The Joliet Slammers.