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A new Illinois law requires corporations to provide an
alternative drinking source if it becomes contaminated from the
injection and storage of CO2. But Pan Rickert, with Eco-Justice
Collaborative, said there is one issue that wasn’t addressed in
the legislation which is sole source aquifers like the Mahomet
that supplies water to nearly a million people in over a dozen
counties.
“Developers have to replace water that is contaminated, and if
it would be under the Mahomet Aquifer, there is no readily
available supply of water to become an alternative water
source,” said Rickert. “It doesn’t exist without a huge economic
impact.”
Rickert adds that the aquifer serves over 100 communities,
businesses, and farmers throughout central Illinois and is vital
to the economy.
Rickert’s group released poll results that showed 82% of
Illinois registered voters say they oppose private corporations'
use of eminent domain for their private carbon dioxide pipeline
and sequestration projects, and 89% think carbon capture and
storage poses a serious risk of carbon dioxide leaks,
potentially at lethal levels.
"A private corporation should not be allowed to take our
property by eminent domain for a project that could damage our
land, and be routed close enough to our homes and schools to put
our lives in danger,” said Kathy Campbell, vice president of
Citizens Against Heartland Greenwashing projects.
According to the Illinois Prairie Rivers Network, three carbon
capture projects are proposing to inject carbon through the
aquifer and store it underneath.
Opponents are pointing to a Sept. 13 incident in Decatur. E&E
News reported that corrosion in one of Archer Daniels-Midland
Co.’s carbon sequestration wells allowed carbon dioxide to leak.
“This incident demonstrates how important strict CCS regulations
are to protect our communities and environment, and is exactly
why we passed the CCS protections act in Illinois this year,”
said the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition in a statement.
State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said he has filed legislation
that needs to be passed immediately he said would protect the
aquifer from CO2 injection.
“This is exactly what I was sounding the alarm about back in May
when Democrats were ramming through their supposedly ‘green’
Carbon Sequestration bill,” said Rose. “This is exactly why that
bill should not have passed, why Governor Pritzker should never
have signed that bill.”
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