New Illinois law leads nation with safety requirements for carbon capture, sequestration

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Gov. JB Pritzker signed a plan into law Thursday setting the highest standards in the nation for environmental safety in carbon capture, pipelines and sequestration. The Pritzker administration says the legislation could generate $9 billion and 3,700 new jobs for Illinois.

"The concept is simple," said Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago). "We're trying to capture carbon emissions at their source of emissions and return that carbon to the ground from which it came. We are essentially trying to re-fossilize fossil fuels."

While the transition to green energy is inevitable, Pritzker said Illinois needs to use every tool to slow down emissions and address climate change.

Carbon Capture Law — Gov. JB Pritzker celebrates with lawmakers and stakeholders after signing historic carbon capture legislation into law on July 18, 2024.

"Every marginal reduction in planetary warming that we can achieve, every fraction of a percent, represents billions of dollars of savings for our economy here and likely thousands of lives across the nation," Pritzker said at the National Sequestration Education Center at Richland Community College.

This law requires carbon capture companies to achieve a net reduction in greenhouse gases and conduct water, air and soil monitoring to ensure no leaks occur.

ADM has been at the forefront of carbon capture since 2011. The company injects carbon dioxide underground at its corn processing plant in Decatur through a collaboration with the University of Illinois and U.S. Department of Energy.

"CCS is an enabler for job creation, innovation and economic growth," said Chris Cuddy, ADM Senior Vice President of Carbohydrate Solutions. "The more we do to support it, from this legislation to the building of critical infrastructure, the more this region and the state will benefit."

This plan also establishes a two-year moratorium on CO2 pipelines so the state can wait for federal safety and oversight rules.

However, not everyone is happy about the new law. Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) said Pritzker ignored clear dangers posed by storing CO2 beneath the Mahomet Aquifer. Rose argued that the bill's signing is a failure of environmental stewardship and a reckless gamble with our public health.

"We based it on the science, and the data, and the modeling that we had access to," said Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago). "So, we felt very comfortable about how we were providing safeguards to drill not just through the aquifer but anywhere in the state of Illinois. It was all science-based and not based on talking points or fearmongering or anything else we heard on the floor debate."

The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition said this law will take critical steps toward ensuring Illinois communities, land and water are protected from the risks of carbon capture. The Illinois Manufacturers' Association also thanked the Pritzker administration, sponsors and stakeholders in agriculture and labor for getting the plan across the finish line this session.

"This law smartly and safely advances carbon capture and storage in Illinois, which will help increase economic development, advance our clean energy goals and create new jobs," said IMA President and CEO Mark Denzler. "This is proof that by working together, we can decarbonize our environment without deindustrializing our economy."