A committee of the Champaign County Board is examining a zoning ordinance that would regulate carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) activities within county boundaries for the next twelve months.
The Environmental and Land Use Committee will deliberate on the ordinance on Thursday, October 10, as outlined on the county’s website.
Environmental activists are urging local authorities to prevent CCS projects in order to safeguard the Mahomet Aquifer. Two advocates previously highlighted the risks of CCS polluting a single-source aquifer at the August ELUC meeting.
DeWitt County has already imposed a moratorium on CCS projects, and Ford County is contemplating a similar ordinance. Sangamon County also enacted several resolutions last year to extend a moratorium on carbon dioxide pipelines.
The discussion for the ordinance follows ADM’s temporary suspension of carbon dioxide injections due to two leaks. The agriculture company has assured that the leaks have not impacted groundwater sources or posed any public health risks.
The proposed ordinance would include a public hearing period in the winter for CCS projects.
Relevant: Rushnu Partners For Carbon Capture And Green Chemical Production
The moratorium is set to expire after 12 months but can be renewed. Its purpose is to provide a temporary measure until a permanent ordinance with stringent CCS regulations can be established.
The news comes shortly after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had determined that numerous planned carbon sequestration projects contain dangerous design flaws, potentially hindering the rollout of this technology, which is crucial to the Biden administration’s climate change initiatives.
A leak at the nation’s inaugural commercial CO2 sequestration project was likely caused by corrosion of the steel used in the well, according to federal regulators.
Relevant: ADM Addresses EPA Violation Notice Regarding Carbon Sequestration Project
This finding poses a significant threat to dozens of other projects across the country that plan to utilize the same type of metal.
13 Chrome steel, although widely used in oil and gas wells for decades, appears susceptible to corrosion when exposed to the liquids found in carbon sequestration wells.
Switching to an alternative material could increase costs and delay many projects that the agricultural and energy industries are eager to implement to qualify for federal tax credits and address pollution contributing to climate change.
