FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Contacts:
Hannah Lee Flath, hannahlee.flath@sierraclub.org, 860-634-0225
Lan Richart, coalition@noillinoisco2pipelines.org, 217-607-1948
Sangamon County Becomes First County in Illinois to Formally Intervene in State Process Related to Navigator Heartland Greenway’s Dangerous CO2 Pipeline
SPRINGFIELD, IL -- Yesterday, Sangamon County became the first county in Illinois to formally intervene in Navigator Heartland Greenway LLC’s petition to construct a dangerous CO2 pipeline through 13 Illinois counties. Sangamon County filed a Petition to Intervene with the Illinois Commerce Commission, asserting that the proposed pipeline will span the entirety of Sangamon County and will cross many roads and other improvements operated by the county. In addition, the county provides emergency responders to events within the county that may be impacted in the event of a pipeline rupture. Today’s announcement indicates that local landowners who reside in a major portion of the Navigator CO2 Pipeline’s path are deeply concerned about the impact the pipeline will have on their communities. According to the 2011 Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Sequestration Act, the ICC must consider evidence of the pipeline’s impact upon the economy, infrastructure, and public safety presented by Sangamon County and other local units of government that will be affected by the proposed pipeline.
This announcement comes just over a week after Citizens Against Heartland Greenway Pipeline (CAHGP) filed a Petition for Leave to Intervene in the proceedings as well. CAHGP includes members of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines and landowners who will be impacted by the planned construction and operation of the CO2 pipeline. The group filed to intervene in the ICC proceeding because they are deeply concerned the proposed pipeline will wreak havoc on farmland, put residents in danger, and decrease property values. Several townships have adopted resolutions in opposition of the pipeline, including Chatham, New Berlin, Ball, Buckhart, and the Village of Mt. Auburn.
In response, the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines and the Sangamon County Board Chairman released the following statement:
"The County Board feels strongly that a Petition to Intervene is a prudent step to address the concerns of Sangamon County residents. This petition will make the County an official part of the process," said Andy Van Meter, Chairman of the Sangamon County Board.
“As a longtime resident of Sangamon County, I’m glad that our local government is attuned to the many concerns of residents about Navigator’s CO2 pipeline and is intervening in the corporation’s petition to construct a dangerous carbon dioxide pipeline through Illinois.” said Nick Dodson, Organizer with the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines and landowner in Sangamon County. “It’s important that counties and townships that will be impacted by the pipeline file to intervene in the ICC proceedings so that they are considered a party in the proceedings. Local voices are critical in the fight to oppose this dangerous pipeline.”
“Sangamon County has been a pleasure to work with as we landowners, ecologists, farmers, and townships have expressed our multiple safety and property value concerns regarding the dangerous Navigator CO2 Pipeline,” said Kathleen Campbell, Vice President of CAHGP and landowner in Sangamon County. “I am proud to live in a county that puts its citizens first and is fighting to ensure we are protected from dangerous and misguided projects like Navigator’s carbon dioxide pipeline.”
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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. The coalition believes the mad rush to build these pipelines as part of the technology called carbon capture and sequestration is dangerous and a false solution that will keep Illinois reliant on fossil fuels.