FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, October 20, 2023
Contacts: Hannah Lee Flath, hannahlee.flath@sierraclub.org, 860-634-0225
Lan Richart, coalition@noillinoisco2pipelines.org, 773-556-3417
Illinois Communities Celebrate the Cancellation of Navigator CO2 Ventures’ Dangerous CO2 Pipeline Project
Advocates celebrate the news, but caution that the fight isn’t over until state and federal regulations are enacted to address community concerns
Illinois -- Today, Navigator Heartland Greenway LLC announced that they are canceling the pipeline project that would have transported high-pressure liquified carbon dioxide through 14 Illinois counties before being injected underground. The news comes after regulatory rejections in Iowa and South Dakota, and just over a week after Navigator filed a motion to withdraw its Application for a Certificate of Authority with the Illinois Commerce Commission.
In response, Pam Richart, co-founder of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, shared the following statement:
“The cancellation of Navigator’s CO2 pipeline project highlights Navigator’s failure to adequately address the widespread concerns from farmers, landowners, environmental advocates, and elected officials from both sides of the aisle regarding basic protections for communities, land, and water resources. Navigator’s inability to secure enough public support for the pipeline sends a clear message that stronger protections are needed at both the state and federal level.
Although Navigator’s announcement gives Illinois lawmakers and Governor Pritzker some breathing room to get critical protections in place for Illinois communities, there is still urgency to act swiftly. Wolf Carbon Solutions’ proposal to build a CO2 pipeline through 9 Illinois counties is still on the table, and other companies continue to see Illinois as a primary target to dump their carbon dioxide waste underground. Illinois remains woefully unprepared and unprotected from CCS projects and our state must act accordingly.”
###
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.