By KEVIN BESSLER
Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) – A bill to protect a large source of drinking water in Illinois from carbon sequestration is headed to the governor.
The source in question is the Mahomet Aquifer, which is the only source of drinking water for 15 counties. It provides over 100,000,000 gallons of groundwater per day for public use.
Senate Bill 1723 bans carbon sequestration near or under the aquifer and passed the Illinois House Tuesday by a 91 to 19 vote.
“This bill is necessary because there was an effort to store carbon that had been sequestered under the aquifer, the main source of our drinking water,” said state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, one of the bill’s sponsors.
The legislation gained momentum after Archer Daniels Midland temporarily paused carbon dioxide injections after detecting a leak at their carbon capture facility in Decatur last October. It was the second incident of a leak at the facility.
“There’s a million Illinoisans that this is their only source of water,” said state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, during senate debate in April. “This bill does not prevent carbon sequestration. Eighty-five percent of the geographic land mass of Illinois is suitable for such sequestration, but what this does is say you can’t do it at the Mahomet Aquifer because it’s their only source of drinking water.”
The measure also creates a task force to study sequestration within the Mahomet Aquifer and the three recharge areas that were excluded from the bill.
“This is a major victory for clean water and for the people of Illinois who made clear that the Mahomet Aquifer is an irreplaceable resource that must be protected,” said Andrew Rehn, climate policy director at Prairie Rivers Network. “You don’t gamble with the water nearly a million people rely on.”
Various business leaders opposed the legislation, including the Illinois Manufacturers Association, with many saying the aquifer was not at risk.
“Carbon capture and sequestration is a safe and proven technology that is key to maintaining economic growth and advancing our state’s decarbonization goals,” said IMA president Mark Denzler in a statement. “We urge Gov. JB Pritzker to veto this legislation, which discourages investment in clean energy projects including sustainable aviation fuel.”
