September 10, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Contacts: 
Pam Richart, Eco-Justice Collaborative, 773-556-3418, prichart@ecojusticecollaborative.org
Mark Hefflinger, Bold Alliance, 323-972-5192, mark@boldalliance.org 

Poll: 82% of Illinois Voters Oppose Eminent Domain for Private Use for CO2 Projects
89% Think Carbon Capture and Storage Poses Serious Risk of CO2 Leakage
71% Do Not Support Underground CO2 Waste Dumps Beneath Mahomet Aquifer

Champaign IL & Hastings, NE – An overwhelming 82% of Illinois registered voters say they oppose private corporations' use of eminent domain for their private carbon dioxide pipeline and sequestration projects; 89% think carbon capture and storage poses a serious risk of carbon dioxide leaks, potentially at lethal levels; and 71% oppose sequestering carbon under the Mahomet Aquifer, despite the passage of recent legislation regulating the practice, according to a new poll. Commissioned by Bold Alliance, the poll was conducted by Embold Research and surveyed registered voters across six Midwestern states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) pushing back against proposals from private corporations looking to construct carbon pipeline and underground CO2 storage projects. As Election Day approaches, the poll results indicate that a majority of voters from every side of the political aisle align in their opposition to this misuse of eminent domain.

Bold Alliance advocates in rural states to protect land and water. The poll they commissioned showed strong familiarity (80%) among Illinois voters with the concept of eminent domain (34% “very familiar”; 46% “somewhat familiar”), while an even larger majority (82%) oppose the use of eminent domain for private use – with examples of private use including corporations building pipelines or shopping malls (66% “strongly oppose”; 16% “somewhat oppose”).

When Illinois voters were asked about concerns with carbon capture and storage projects, and how serious they considered them, 94% called it a “serious” concern if “corporations are allowed to seize people’s private property to build carbon capture and storage projects” (79% called it a “very serious” and 15% a “somewhat serious” concern).

Three pipeline projects seeking approval by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), and all have met strong resistance from landowners. These include Nebraska-based Navigator CO2 Ventures; Wolf Carbon Solutions, a Canada Pension Plan Investment Board-backed private company; and One Earth Sequestration, LLC, a subsidiary of REX American Resources located in Ohio. Navigator canceled its project in October 2023. Wolf Carbon Solutions and One Earth Energy, LLC are expected to refile their applications with the ICC after the state's CO2 pipeline moratorium is over. 

"Poll results echo the position we landowners have taken in Illinois as carbon pipeline and storage projects are increasingly being proposed in our state," said Kathy Campbell, Vice President of Citizens Against Heartland Greenwashing Projects. "A private corporation should not be allowed to take our property by eminent domain for a project that could damage our land, and be routed close enough to our homes and schools to put our lives in danger. Because of these concerns, landowners refused to sign easements for over 85% of the right-of-way Navigator needed to build its Illinois project. Public Act 103-0651 signed into law this past July does not set limits for the minimum percent of voluntary easements required before the use of eminent domain is given to a private corporation to build its carbon dioxide pipeline."

Rick Stuckey, Board Member, Save Our Land Illinois, also is concerned about public safety and the use of eminent domain. "None of the pipeline companies that have applied to the ICC have proposed safe routes, nor have they been transparent about how they determined their project is safe. In each case, hazardous carbon dioxide pipelines were routed so close to homes, schools - and even prisons - that many people would succumb to the effects of CO2 from a pipeline rupture before they could escape or be rescued," said Stuckey. "Because gas-powered cars won't run, people would not be able to self-evacuate. When the ICC gives private corporations the power to use eminent domain, they are essentially forcing unsafe routes on landowners and the public."

"Poll results clearly affirm Illinois landowner concerns about the use of eminent domain by private corporations to construct hazardous CO2 pipelines, said Joyce Harant, President, Citizens Against Predatory Pipelines. The Illinois Commerce Commission must consider the impacts of giving the power of eminent domain to private corporations when reviewing applications for CO2 pipeline projects. These private companies have demonstrated they are more concerned about profit than they are about public health and safety. We ask the Illinois Commerce Commission to consider adopting criteria for determining safe setbacks if, after its rulemaking to improve safety and oversight, the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration fails to assume routing authority."

The poll also found that 71% of registered voters oppose storing carbon dioxide under the Mahomet Aquifer, which supplies water to nearly 1 million people in Central Illinois. The U.S. EPA designated the Mahomet Aquifer as "sole source" in 2015, after determining contamination of the aquifer would create a significant hazard to public health, and over 50% of the population in the Mahomet Aquifer System service area would be unable to find either a physically available or economically feasible alternative source of drinking water should the aquifer system become contaminated.

“People across Illinois recognize there is no guarantee that sequestered CO2 won't leak,” said Pam Richart, Co-Director, Eco-Justice Collaborative. “CO2 has the potential to release harmful metals into the Mahomet Aquifer that can cause cancer, liver damage, and anemia. No private, profit-driven company should be allowed to put people's health and the main water source for Central Illinois at risk. We need our counties and state legislators to work together to ban injection through and storage under this aquifer and its recharge areas.

“We've heard carbon capture corporations call those opposed to their schemes ‘the vocal minority’ time and time again. We can add that to the list of mistruths the industry has tried to spread. There is no denying the fact that the majority of Midwesterners stand against the growing wave of corporate power attempting to run roughshod over our communities and way of life,” said Emma Schmit, Pipeline Organizer with Bold Alliance.

The Embold Research poll consisted of 2,479 interviews with registered voters in IL, IA, IN, ND, NE and SD from July 25-31, 2024. (Margin of error = +/- 2.2%).

View all state polling results: 
https://pipelinefighters.org/news/poll-81-oppose-eminent-domain-for-private-use-across-midwest-states-facing-co2-pipelines-carbon-capture-projects 

About Bold Alliance: The Bold Alliance is a network of “small and mighty” groups in rural states working to protect land and water. We fight fossil fuel projects, protect landowners against eminent domain abuse, and work for clean energy solutions while building an engaged base of citizens who care about the land, water, and climate change. (https://boldalliance.org)

About Embold Research: Embold Research is the nonpartisan unit of Change Research. We use the same accurate methodology and technology. Because electoral outcomes provide a uniquely objective benchmark of accuracy, the data that follows focuses on our methodology’s track record in political polling. (https://emboldresearch.com) 

About the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines: The Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines is a growing coalition of Illinois environmental groups, landowners, and residents concerned about the environmental, economic, and the unprecedented safety hazards associated with building a network of CO2 pipelines across the state. Citizens Against Heartland Greenwashing Projects, Save Our Illinois Land, Citizens Against Predatory Pipelines, and Eco-Justice Collaborative are members of the Coalition. (https://noillinoisco2pipelines.org)

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Banner photo:  Clouds of water vapor and carbon dioxide gas escape from a CO2 pipeline near Sulphur in southwest Louisiana on April 3, 2024. The harmful gas prompted a shelter-in-place advisory and concerns about pipeline safety and warning systems. (Photo courtesy of Ward 6 Fire Protection District)