Illinois Senate Committee Approves Bill Protecting Mahomet Aquifer from Carbon Pollution

by Mike Miletich (WAND) A proposal to protect the Mahomet aquifer from carbon capture and sequestration has strong bipartisan support in Springfield. Senators Paul Faraci (D-Champaign) and Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) believe carbon capture can play a role in addressing climate change. Although, they stressed that Illinois should not put clean water at risk.

Faraci's legislation would ban carbon sequestration over, under or through the Mahomet aquifer. He said the state must prioritize the health and safety of residents and ensure clean energy progress never comes at the expense of water.

"I am of the opinion that there can be no risk tolerance without a scaled up project to show that this is safe when we're talking about a million people getting drinking water from the Mahomet aquifer," Faraci said.

This proposal passed unanimously out of the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee, but there is still strong opposition from the Illinois Manufacturers' Association and the Illinois Pipe Trades Association.

"We oppose Senate Bill 1723 because we believe it departs from a science-based regulatory approach for CCS that was negotiated in the spring and passed into law with strong support," said Brad Stotler with the Illinois Renewable Fuels Association. "We know the state has the strongest protections in the nation around this technology."

Senate Bill 1723 now heads to the Senate floor for further consideration. READ MORE includes VIDEO

Excerpt from WGLT: The Illinois House on Tuesday voted to ban carbon capture near the Mahomet Aquifer in a 91-19 vote. It's already passed the Senate and now goes to the governor.

The aquifer is the sole source of drinking water for nearly 1 million people in the region, stretching from Tazewell County all the way to Iroquois County.

Carbon capture is a method in which climate-warming gases from the atmosphere are buried deep underground. Critics see it as a potential hazard as it failed to prevent a leak in Decatur last year.

Bloomington-Normal and some parts of eastern McLean County sit outside the aquifer's sole source area. While lawmakers attempted to include them in the first version of the bill, the Illinois Senate agreed to an amendment, carving the area out out of the ban. This means companies could use carbon capture in Bloomington-Normal.

The bill also calls for creation of a commission that would study the potential environmental effects of carbon sequestration near the aquifer.

While it was still bipartisan in the House, there were some lawmakers who voted against the bill. There were four Central Illinois lawmakers among the 19 who voted no.

Republican Rep. Travis Weaver, who represents Peoria, said he struggled to cast his vote, having his fingers ready to press on both the “Nay” and “Yay” button.

Weaver said he understood both sides of the issue but felt the bill did not do enough to protect the aquifer and failed to protect economic growth in the region. In particular, he was concerned about the effect it would have on the workers at an ethanol corn plant in Pekin.

Alto Ingredients, the company behind the plant, made a deal last year to use carbon capture. Weaver said their plans would likely be affected under this ban.

“I just was a no on this specific bill because I did not feel like it was fully fleshed out, and it had the con of having uncertainty,” Weaver said. “And the facility I'm talking about in Pekin that is the ethanol corn production facility is like 100 jobs. It's a big facility; it depends on corn ethanol production. Specifically thinking about my district, I felt like ‘no’ was the right vote for me.”

“Carbon capture and sequestration is a safe and proven technology that is key to maintaining economic growth and advancing our state’s decarbonization goals. We urge Gov. JB Pritzker to veto this legislation, which discourages investment in clean energy projects including sustainable aviation fuel. Illinois should stand by the historic legislation adopted just last year that established the most stringent carbon capture and sequestration regulations in the nation,” said Mark Denzler, CEO and president of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.

Carbon sequestration is a relatively new technological process that pumps liquified carbon dioxide deep underground for long-term storage. Proponents say it could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions for high-emissions industries like ethanol production.

The ADM injection site, which opened in 2011, received the first federal permit for “geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide” in 2017. Since then, the project has stored more than 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide more than a mile underground.

Although the leak did not take place in the Mahomet Aquifer area, roughly 8,000 metric tons of liquid carbon dioxide and other ground fluid escaped the area it was permitted to be in. ADM temporarily paused carbon injections in October after another issue with a well was identified.

“The geology under and around the Mahomet Aquifer is the best geology to ensure that thousands of feet below the aquifer — we’re not talking immediately under the aquifer, we’re talking thousands of feet, up to a mile below — is the best geology to ensure that the carbon capturing is taking place,” Donovan Griffith, the vice president of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, said during the committee. “It’s the best in the state.”

The bill passed out of the Senate in April 55-0. It now awaits approval from the governor after passing out of the House on Tuesday with a vote of 91-19.

IMA released a statement on X following the passage of SB1723 urging Gov. JB Pritzker to veto the bill.

“Carbon capture and sequestration is a safe and proven technology that is key to maintaining economic growth and advancing our state’s decarbonization goals. We urge Gov. JB Pritzker to veto this legislation, which discourages investment in clean energy projects including sustainable aviation fuel,” said Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. READ MORE