Carbon capture legislation has been passed by a House committee

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Carbon capture and sequestration projects have been a hot topic in central Illinois for years, and now lawmakers in the state capital are trying to address it.

Proposed pipeline projects, such as the Navigator pipeline through Sangamon County and the Wolf/ADM pipeline terminating near Decatur, have faced significant opposition from residents due to a lack of regulations. Lawmakers believe they have a solution.

Some elements of the bill include companies having to prove that their project will capture carbon dioxide and not store it underground. It also creates stricter rules for carbon dioxide pipeline projects compared to other carbon sequestration projects. Finally, the bill places a moratorium on all multi-state pipelines.

“Right now, we have no laws to protect Illinois homeowners, to protect Illinois landowners, to protect our land, air and water,” said Rep. Ann Williams (R-Chicago), the bill’s author. “We had to implement this, otherwise operations could continue without any regulations.”

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Almost all supporters of the bill admit that it is a compromise. However, both producers and environmentalists supported the proposed regulations. The Capture Jobs Now Coalition, which includes groups such as the Illinois Corn Growers Association, the Illinois Growers Association and the Illinois AFL-CIO, supports this bill.

“This legislation will establish a regulatory framework to enable smart and safe progress on carbon capture and storage in Illinois, which will help the state achieve its clean energy goals while promoting economic development and creating new jobs,” the coalition said in a statement. “This measure represents a carefully crafted compromise between environmental groups, organized labor, agricultural interests and the business community, resulting in a plan that includes strong landowner protections, rigorous environmental monitoring and robust investments in environmental justice communities.”

These groups have already disagreed with environmentalists on a bill from earlier this year.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office helped facilitate negotiations on the bill.

Not everyone agrees with the bill. The Illinois Bureau of Agriculture continues to oppose the bill because companies can use the Eminent version of the domain, even though they would have to go through many steps first before taking over a farmer’s land.

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The bill passed out of committee Friday afternoon 21-7-1. Now he heads to the House floor.

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