Over 30 environmental and health advocacy groups are urging Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to veto SB831, a bill establishing a legal framework for carbon storage in the state, Environmental Health News (EHN) reported Wednesday.
Passed recently by the state legislature, the bill aims to capture carbon emissions from fossil fuels and store them underground indefinitely.
While some environmental groups support the initiative, others argue it detracts from urgent renewable energy efforts.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is gaining momentum nationwide through federal funding and tax incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Proponents assert that CCS can reduce emissions and support the power grid, while critics argue that the technology is unproven and diverts resources from the essential transition to clean energy.
“Inviting this technology into the state is just setting us up for more fossil fuel extraction, which is what it’s actually all about,” Karen Feridun, co-founder of the Better Path Coalition, was quoted as saying by EHN.
On July 16, the coalition, along with other advocacy groups, submitted a letter to Governor Shapiro urging him to veto the bill.
The letter argues that SB831 strips landowners of subsurface rights, shifts liability to the state, and introduces hazardous fossil fuel infrastructure.
Feridun emphasized the risks, citing Pennsylvania’s unique geology and numerous abandoned wells, which complicate safe and effective carbon storage.
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State Senator Katie Muth and Representative Greg Vitali also voiced their opposition, highlighting the bill’s insufficient safeguards for communities and the environment.
Despite opposition, the bill garnered support from business and labor organizations like the Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council and the AFL-CIO.
They argue that CCS can create substantial, well-paying jobs in the construction industry and provide sustainable employment.
Some environmental groups, including the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Environmental Defense Fund, collaborated with lawmakers to amend the bill.
The amendments offer protections for public land and environmental justice communities, enhanced landowner rights, and stricter regulations.
However, Feridun remains critical, asserting that the bill remains fundamentally flawed despite the amendments.
The future of CCS in Pennsylvania hinges on the bill’s enactment, which could influence federally funded hydrogen hub projects and potentially direct billions in taxpayer dollars to fossil fuel companies.
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