{"id":2312239,"date":"2024-06-11T04:55:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T09:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vxartnews.com\/?p=2312239"},"modified":"2024-06-10T15:54:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T20:54:45","slug":"illinois-passed-strongest-standards-in-the-nation-on-carbon-sequestration-but-advocates-say-more-work-is-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vxartnews.com\/2024\/06\/11\/illinois-passed-strongest-standards-in-the-nation-on-carbon-sequestration-but-advocates-say-more-work-is-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois passed \u2018strongest standards in the nation\u2019 on carbon sequestration, but advocates say more work is needed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Illinois\u2019s carbon dioxide pipeline and sequestration law passed May 26 is being described as among the nation\u2019s strictest. It is only the second carbon dioxide pipeline moratorium in the U.S., after California, and it creates a significant permitting process once the moratorium is lifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But landowners and advocates are still unhappy with several key provisions left out of the law, and said they are exploring options to end the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines and protect landowners from carbon being sequestered in their underground pore space against their will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of good in there, but it definitely is a work in progress in terms of guard rails,\u201d said Jennifer Cassel, a senior attorney for Earthjustice who worked with the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition that endorsed the new law after members previously worked with lawmakers on a stronger bill. \u201cThe federal uncertainty was part of the push, and there\u2019s so much of a gold rush already happening,\u201d with applications for 22 carbon dioxide injection wells pending in the state, plus various pipeline proposals.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n SB 1289<\/a>, or the SAFE Act, allows a company seeking to sequester carbon to move forward if the owners of 75% of the affected land agree to the plan, which provides them compensation. That means, critics note, that owners of 25% of the land cannot stop a project, even if they are opposed. Owners of small several-acre parcels would have few rights compared to large landowners, noted Pam Richart, co-founder of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The coalition had worked with lawmakers on a much more stringent bill,<\/a> which would have limited the use of eminent domain to acquire land for pipelines and sequestration. It would also have banned the injection of carbon dioxide through the Mahomet Aquifer. The Farm Bureau opposed the SAFE Act in part because it didn\u2019t address eminent domain, though the new law includes some protections regarding compensation for land damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLandowners are profoundly disappointed that the act was approved without eminent domain [limits],\u201d Richart said. \u201cThe landowner protections weren\u2019t as strong as we hoped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The coalition\u2019s preferred bill would not have allowed forced integration of pore space against landowners\u2019 will. Richart said they expected some compromise on that front, but not to the extent enshrined in the SAFE Act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s not how this is supposed to work,\u201d she said. \u201cIf a project is in the public interest, you wouldn\u2019t expect landowners of 25% of the land to hold out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The SAFE Act stands for Safety and Aid for the Environment in Carbon Capture and Sequestration. It still awaits signature by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has indicated he will sign it, and bills become law after 60 days in Illinois if the governor takes no action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Richart said advocates don\u2019t plan to \u201creopen the whole process\u201d around legislation, but hope to work with legislators on a trailer bill that could increase protections for landowners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA lot of legislators expressed serious concern about the aquifer, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if those issues and potentially others come back up in some form,\u201d Cassel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new law places a moratorium on new carbon dioxide pipelines for two years or until the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issues regulations for carbon dioxide pipelines, which are in the works. The previous bill advocates backed included a moratorium of four years or until the federal regulations are adopted. Cassel said labor unions felt that moratorium was too long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Richart said the Illinois law is only a \u201cquasi-moratorium\u201d since companies can begin the application process for new pipelines even before the PHMSA regulations come out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile the SAFE Act does not include setbacks from properties for carbon dioxide pipelines. If the PHMSA regulations do not include setbacks, which is likely, Illinois advocates could push for setbacks under the permitting process created by the SAFE Act, since it allows for additional safety measures to be developed provided they are not in conflict with federal regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advocates say county governments, which have in multiple cases refused to approve sequestration sites<\/a> connected to pipelines, could work together to push for setback policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advocates are grateful for a robust public engagement process created by the new law.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFuture options<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Benefits of new law<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n