IL plan to stop carbon sequestration near the Mahomet Aquifer passes unanimously out of the Senate

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — After the bill failed to pass last year, the plan to stop all carbon sequestration near the Mahomet aquifer passed unanimously out of the Illinois Senate Thursday.

Carbon sequestration is a way to combat climate change. It takes CO2, a greenhouse gas warming the planet, out of the atmosphere and into a liquid form where it is piped into the ground.

Companies were allowed to begin carbon sequestration in Illinois last year. However, shortly after approval, an ADM pipe full of liquid CO2 was found to be leaking near the Mahomet aquifer.

Over fears the aquifer, the sole source of clean drinking water for 800,000 Central Illinoisan, was possibly contaminated, local communities gathered and lobbied for a complete ban of carbon sequestration.

State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Champaign) said this he's thankful for all the bipartisan work to protect the aquifer.

"I suspect this role call is going to be very bipartisan," Rose said. "It's for the right reason because water is not political. We've got Republicans, Democrats, Independents everybody under the sun [because] you can't just flip a switch if you screw this up."

The plan passed out of Senate on a 55-0 vote. It will now head to the House floor, where lawmakers could talk about it in the coming weeks.