ANOTHER VICTORY!
Bill to protect Mahomet Aquifer from carbon sequestration passes Illinois legislature
We have good news to share! On Tuesday, May 20, SB 1723, a bill that will protect the Mahomet Aquifer from carbon sequestration, passed on the House floor with a vote of 91 to 1. The bill, championed by Representative Ammons in the House, and Senator Faraci in the Senate, was supported by both Democrats and Republicans. We expect Governor Pritzker will sign SB 1723 within the next 60 days.
The legislation bans carbon sequestration within the sole source area of the Mahomet Aquifer. It also creates a task force to study sequestration within the Mahomet Aquifer and its three recharge areas that were excluded from the bill.
"This is a victory for the nearly 1 million people who depend on this aquifer for fresh water! But it was not easy. Many considered the opportunity to store carbon under the Mahomet Aquifer both a response to climate change and a tool for attracting business in Illinois. We worked hard with Senator Faraci, Representative Ammons, and our Central Illinois partners to convince the Senate and the House that the risks to the Aquifer from potential CO2 pollution were just too great to allow."
- Pam Richart, Co-Director, Eco-Justice Collaborative
The Mahomet Aquifer was designated a sole-source aquifer by the EPA in 2015. This means that “contamination of the aquifer would create a significant hazard to public health and there are no physically available or economically feasible alternative sources of drinking water to serve the population that relies on the aquifer."
We thank all who took the time to make calls and send letters to state legislators asking them to support this bill, which protects the Mahomet Aquifer from potential CO2 pollution! If CO2 were to leak along an injection well, monitoring well, or through cracks and fissures in the cap rock, it could release toxic metals that can cause cancer, kidney or liver disease, and other serious illnesses.
Since January of 2022, EJC has led a coalition of residents and environmental organizations raising concerns about federal policies promoting carbon capture and storage as a primary climate mitigation tool, even while many significant questions remained unanswered about its cost, effectiveness and safety. Through the work of this Coalition, at least three major CO2 pipeline projects have been put on hold, and Illinois lawmakers have passed broad requirements for regulating carbon capture and storage. Illinois is one of few states in the U.S. to do so. The passage of SB 1723 shows one more time that an informed and organized public can make a difference.
