Say no to CO2 pipeline projects in Illinois until safety is assured

Sustainable Development Goals and the Risks of Carbon Dioxide Pipelines in Illinois

Situated in the heart of the country and seen as a hub for tourism, architecture, history, and natural wonders, Illinois is often referred to as being in the “middle of everything.” However, the state is now facing a significant threat from fossil fuel interests aiming to establish a vast network of dangerous carbon dioxide pipelines.

Over the past two years, farmers, landowners, and concerned citizens across Illinois have raised alarm about the proposed carbon dioxide pipelines by Navigator CO2 Ventures, Wolf/ADM, and One Earth Energy. These pipelines would expose Illinois residents, local drinking water, and public health to serious risks associated with capturing, transporting, and injecting fossil fuel pollution into the earth. The concerns of these citizen activists are well-founded.

Projects involving carbon capture and sequestration may be considered a climate solution for hard-to-decarbonize sources of pollution, especially where electrification is not a viable alternative in the near to medium term. However, such projects come with risks at every stage of the industrial process, including the capture facility, pipeline transportation, and sequestration facilities.

The carbon capture process requires additional energy to power equipment and can actually increase carbon dioxide emissions, while also releasing health-harming pollutants into the atmosphere. Moreover, the transportation of these CO2 emissions can be deadly and fast.

Lack of Regulation

Despite these extraordinary risks, there are few regulations in place at the state or federal levels to protect Illinoisans, their land, and water. This lack of regulation is a glaring oversight, particularly considering the intention of fossil fuel interests to make Illinois ground zero for carbon capture and sequestration.

So far, the proposed projects have been stalled due to the widespread health and safety concerns raised by citizens and local governments across the state. CO2 pipelines have been proposed in 23 Illinois counties, with more proposals on the horizon.

The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that as many as 96,000 miles of CO2 pipelines could be constructed across the country by 2050. Therefore, Illinois must act swiftly to protect its communities as companies rush to take advantage of lucrative federal tax credits for these projects.

Following the pipeline rupture in Mississippi in 2020, the federal Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration initiated a rule-making process to update and adopt new rules for improving safety and oversight of CO2 pipelines. This rule-making process is still ongoing, with draft rules expected by the end of 2024.

In the meantime, stakeholders in Illinois are working to develop emergency response plans and comprehensive policies that ensure safe setbacks, prevent the use of eminent domain, and establish critical protections for land and water. While state and federal stakeholders engage in this critical fact-finding and policy drafting, all CO2 pipeline projects must be put on hold.

For carbon capture and sequestration to play a role in Illinois’ climate mitigation strategy, legislative guardrails are needed to ensure that it serves the economic and environmental interests of all Illinois citizens.

In fact, Republicans and Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly are joining forces to call for a moratorium on carbon dioxide pipelines and to work towards enacting strong protections for both the capture and storage of carbon. Hopefully, these bipartisan efforts will result in robust safeguards so that Illinois does not find itself in the midst of a disaster.

Jack Darin is the director of Sierra Club Illinois.

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SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 15: Life on Land
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
• SDG 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
• SDG 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
• SDG 13.5: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
• SDG 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
• SDG 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
• SDG 15.4: By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development
• SDG 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
• SDG 16.6: Develop effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

No specific indicators are mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators