To stop CO2 pipeline, Decatur City Council should act now

Decatur is proposed to be the final resting place for millions of tons of carbon dioxide shipped from Iowa and stored under Lake Decatur.  CO2 pipelines pose a threat to human health and should not be located within a city of 69,000 people.  The Decatur City Council should act now to prohibit CO2 pipelines in the city.

RUPTURED CO2 PIPELINE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT HARM

In 2020, a CO2 pipeline near Satartia, Mississippi in Yazoo County broke where it was welded releasing CO2.  The subsequent explosion resulted in a 40 ft. deep crater.  The CO2 traveled over a mile and the release of CO2 lasted 4 hours.  The pipe was thought to have broken because of a mudslide/geological event and not following proper procedures.  Dozens of individuals were hospitalized, and hundreds of individuals were displaced in a county with a population of <26,000.  If such significant harm can occur in a rural community, why would the Decatur City Council allow a CO2 pipeline running through a city of 69,000?

DECATUR CITY COUNCIL CAN TAKE ACTION TO STOP A CO2 PIPELINE

The website of Wolf Carbon Solutions contains a map of Macon County illustrating where its proposed CO2 pipeline will run through Decatur (https://wolfcarbonsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Illinois_Macon_Overview_8x10.pdf).  The problem with the map is that the Decatur City Council has not granted the company an easement for the pipeline nor should it.  Instead, the city council should reject an easement and follow the lead of the Sangamon County Board proactively issuing a moratorium on this and other possible CO2 pipeline projects.  In addition, the Decatur City Council should pass strict setback requirements.  Given the incident in Satartia, the setback should be a minimum of one mile from a home, a school, a hospital, a church, or a place of employment.

DECATUR RESIDENTS CAN TAKE ACTION NOW TO OPPOSE A CO2 PIPELINE

Decatur residents don’t have to wait for the city council to take action.  Organizations such as the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines (https://noillinoisco2pipelines.org/) provide information on how residents can contact state and federal officials and express their concerns.

Decatur can be a vibrant, thriving, family-friendly city for decades to come.  At the foundation of any city is public safety, and a CO2 pipeline that ultimately results in the disposal of tens of millions of tons of CO2 under Decatur’s drinking water source should not be part of that future.