For years, some in Central Illinois have feared that their sole source of water — the Mahomet Aquifer — could become contaminated by the use of carbon capture, an emerging but controversial technology meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Illinois House on Tuesday voted to ban carbon capture near the Mahomet Aquifer in a 91-19 vote. It's already passed the Senate and now goes to the governor.
The aquifer is the sole source of drinking water for nearly 1 million people in the region, stretching from Tazewell County all the way to Iroquois County.
Carbon capture is a method in which climate-warming gases from the atmosphere are buried deep underground. Critics see it as a potential hazard as it failed to prevent a leak in Decatur last year.
Bloomington-Normal and some parts of eastern McLean County sit outside the aquifer's sole source area. While lawmakers attempted to include them in the first version of the bill, the Illinois Senate agreed to an amendment, carving the area out out of the ban. This means companies could use carbon capture in Bloomington-Normal.
The bill also calls for creation of a commission that would study the potential environmental effects of carbon sequestration near the aquifer.
While it was still bipartisan in the House, there were some lawmakers who voted against the bill. There were four Central Illinois lawmakers among the 19 who voted no.
Central Illinois House votes
- (R) Jason Bunting - No
- (D) Sharon Chung - Yes
- (R) Regan Deering - Yes
- (R) Bill Hauter - Yes
- (R) Ryan Spain - No
- (R) Dennis Tipsword - No
- (R) Travis Weaver - No
Republican Rep. Travis Weaver, who represents Peoria, said he struggled to cast his vote, having his fingers ready to press on both the “Nay” and “Yay” button.
Weaver said he understood both sides of the issue but felt the bill did not do enough to protect the aquifer and failed to protect economic growth in the region. In particular, he was concerned about the effect it would have on the workers at an ethanol corn plant in Pekin.
Alto Ingredients, the company behind the plant, made a deal last year to use carbon capture. Weaver said their plans would likely be affected under this ban.
“I just was a no on this specific bill because I did not feel like it was fully fleshed out, and it had the con of having uncertainty,” Weaver said. “And the facility I'm talking about in Pekin that is the ethanol corn production facility is like 100 jobs. It's a big facility; it depends on corn ethanol production. Specifically thinking about my district, I felt like ‘no’ was the right vote for me.”
Republican Rep. Jason Bunting, who represents northeastern McLean County, also voted no on the bill. Bunting said his decision was not difficult since he is more concerned about the oil leak incidents in his district, which stretches from north of Lexington to Streator, Morris and the Indiana border.
“We've got a current issue right now, when it comes to the Mahomet Aquifer, we have got natural gas leaking into water wells at residents,” Bunting said. “I think we need to be dealing with that issue and maybe not so concerned about something that's two, three (or) four years down the road.”
Bunting said he believes carbon capture technology is sound enough to continue production.
Democratic Rep. Sharon Chung of Bloomington voted for the ban to protect the Mahomet Aquifer from a possible leak in the future.
“It's really important to protect our clean drinking water,” Chung said. “It's something that I've heard a lot from constituent groups, advocacy groups for quite some time now. This issue has sort of been a very hot topic in Central Illinois for quite some time. And so, I'm glad we were able to protect the aquifer and protect our drinking water.”
Chung also said the bill was bipartisan because it balanced the concerns of environmental and labor groups. But Weaver disagrees, saying the 19 "No" votes represented some unanswered concerns.
“I voted no on bills where I'm one of five, I'm one of eight, so with 19, I felt like that was actually fairly robust,” Weaver said. “And it's an easier vote for people that don't have anything to do with the district, that are not over the Mahomet Aquifer, where they don't have these conflicting views of businesses that depend on the bill.”
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association sent a statement asking for Gov. JB Pritzker to veto the bill.
“Carbon capture and sequestration is a safe and proven technology that is key to maintaining economic growth and advancing our state’s decarbonization goals. We urge Gov. JB Pritzker to veto this legislation, which discourages investment in clean energy projects including sustainable aviation fuel. Illinois should stand by the historic legislation adopted just last year that established the most stringent carbon capture and sequestration regulations in the nation,” said Mark Denzler, CEO and president of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.
Environmental advocates cheered passage of the bill.
“This is a major victory for clean water and for the people of Illinois who made clear that the Mahomet Aquifer is an irreplaceable resource that must be protected,” said Andrew Rehn, Climate Policy Director at Prairie Rivers Network. “You don’t gamble with the water nearly a million people rely on."
