Illinois — Today, Governor JB Pritzker signed the Safety and Aid for the Environment in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act (SB1289) into law. The bill, which was championed by Representative Ann Williams and Senator Laura Fine, includes some of the strongest carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) guardrails in the nation, including a ban on the use of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery.
In response, the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition released the following statement:
“We applaud Governor Pritzker for signing the Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) protections bill into law and are grateful for his Office’s work this spring to achieve strong environmental protection in this bill. The safeguards secured in SB1289 are urgently needed – multiple corporations are currently targeting Illinois for carbon waste disposal, and this law takes critical steps toward ensuring Illinois communities and our land and water are protected from the risks associated with CCS.
“The law begins to address some of the greatest threats from CCS and offers communities concerned about potentially deadly leaks and disasters critical protections. The moratorium on CO2 pipelines and the mandate that pipeline operators pay for and conduct enhanced modeling for emergency planning and first responders are critical steps to better protect Illinois from potential pipeline ruptures. In addition, the “do no harm” mandate in the law will ensure that facilities that attempt to capture carbon do not increase dangerous air and climate pollution as a result of CCS projects.
“As any CCS projects move forward in Illinois, we look forward to working with the Office of Governor Pritzker and lawmakers in the General Assembly to ensure the projects are aligned with our climate goals and achieve the highest standards for safety.”
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