Sign if you agree CO2 pipelines are a false solution to our climate crisis

Oppose the Construction of CO2 Pipelines!

Navigator CO2 Ventures and Wolf Carbon Solutions / ADM are proposing carbon dioxide pipelines that will capture CO2 from ethanol and fertilizer plants. They will transport at least 27 million tons of CO2 every year to predetermined locations in Christian and Macon Counties. Or, they could use some of the captured CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, perpetuating the use of fossil fuels. These proposals are the first of many expected in Illinois, generated by the mad rush by corporations to profit from federal tax credits and loans in what is being sold to the public as a climate solution. But, CO2 pipelines:

Are Not Well Regulated. To transport CO2, the carbon must be compressed into a liquid state and then pumped through pipelines under high pressure. When CO2 is mixed with water, it becomes highly corrosive, and piplelnes become vulnerable to leaking or rupture. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has declined to take jurisdiction over them. State regulations are not designed for CO2 pipelines.

Are not safe. CO2 pipeline can leak and rupture, displacing oxygen and putting communities and rural landowners, farmers, and livestock at risk. CO2 is an an asphyxiant that, at high enough concentrations, can cause death. A 2020 CO2 pipeline rupture in Sartartia, Mississippi, caused the evacuation of 250 people, and put 49 in the hospital.

Can supersede landowner rights. This is especially true in Illinois, where a 2011 law already declares CO2 pipelines serve the public interest, making it difficult for landowners to object to eminent domain.

Damage farmland during construction. The University of Iowa has documented that the compacting and mixing of soils during pipeline construction reduces crop yield. Drainage tiles are often broken and hard to repair, affecting historical drainage patterns.

Extend the life of fossil fuels. Promoting a technology that relies on the continuation of coal and natural gas plants perpetuates their use. Today, the vast majority of CO2 pipelines that exist (about 5200 miles) are used to transport CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, enabling companies to access reserves that otherwise may not be economically recoverable.

Are funded by the taxpayer. Section 45Q of the IRS code subsidizes carbon capture and sequestration by paying $85 for every ton of CO2 stored, and $60 for every ton of CO2 used in enhanced oil recovery. There is a lot of money to be made by corporations, at the expense of the taxpayer.

Rely on carbon capture and storage, This technology has not been proven to be safe at this scale, and 80% of the projects that have attempted to commercialize carbon capture and sequestration have ended in failure. Some studies show carbon capture in the U.S. has actually put more CO2 into the atmosphere than it has removed, when taking into account the large amount of energy required to power carbon capture and the life cycle of fossil fuels.

Are false solutions. While funding CO2 pipelines, the federal government is diverting resources that could otherwise be used for REAL climate solutions, such as energy efficiency; accelerating the adoption of renewables; and electrifying transportation systems.

For these reasons, I strongly oppose the construction of CO2 pipelines. I stand in solidarity with the growing number of those actively opposing them in Illinois and throughout the Midwest.