SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — The Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill to stop carbon sequestration projects from being constructed near or underneath the Mahomet Aquifer, which provides clean drinking water for almost one million people in Illinois.
"As many know of the Mahomet Aquifer in Central Illinois is a sole source, clean drinking water for nearly a million people in our state," Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) said on the floor. "This bill puts in additional protections for the Muhammad Aquifer. Many of which have been negotiated in the Senate with Senator Faraci, which I want to thank him for his work and certainly thank all of the members here for their support for this important initiative to protect our drinking water."
The bill follows up on first-of-their-kind regulations on carbon sequestration projects in the state. The technology is often pointed to as necessary for meeting the state’s emission targets, but federal regulations are severely lacking. The state’s regulations signed into law last May would put extensive safety requirements on the construction of these projects. However, those regulations did not include any specific protections for the aquifer.
This bill had bipartisan support. Democrat lawmakers Carol Ammons and Paul Faraci sponsored the legislation, but Republicans Senator Chapin Rose and Representative Brandun Schweizer were also cosponsors.
"It’s been a long time coming. There’s a lot of constituents within the Greater Mahomet Aquifer area that have concerns with the sequestering through and underneath the Mahomet Aquifer. I know it’s relatively local to Central Illinois, but it also affects greater Illinois if something were to happen to that aquifer."
The bill passed with 91 voting in favor and 19 voting against. It now heads to the Governor’s desk.
