Carbon Capture Bill HB 170 will cost Ohio’s citizens
Letter to the Editor,
Carbon capture and sequestration involves capturing carbon dioxide from industrial facilities or fossil-fueled power plants and injecting these emissions into Class VI injection wells. The process relies on enormous federal subsidies, it doesn’t sequester the carbon dioxide promised, it encourages more fossil fuel usage, it poses risks to local communities and it isn’t a solution to stop climate change.
Recently, a Carbon Capture and Sequestration bill was introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate. The bill, H.B. 170, is sponsored by Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana) and Rep. Bob Peterson (R-Sabina).
This bill would “give the division of oil and gas sole and exclusive authority to regulate carbon sequestration and storage facilities within the state” and allow the Ohio Department of Natural Resources chief to force nonconsenting private property owners to surrender their “pore space” for CCS storage. Because of the dangers from asphyxiation, Class VI wells should be monitored in perpetuity, but HB170 only requires a 50-year monitoring period.
Class VI wells, as well as CCS infrastructure, pose risks to local communities. Carbon dioxide is an asphyxiant. A pipeline break in the town of Sataria, Mississippi in 2020 caused 200 residents to be evacuated, and 45 people were sent to the hospital. Many residents are still dealing with health effects today.
There is no guarantee the high-pressure carbon dioxide injected into the ground will remain underground. Class VI wells can leak CO2 back into the atmosphere and into aquifers, acidifying them. Leakage can occur due to injection well failure, undetected faults, fractures, seal failure, poor site selection, poor preparation and mineral dissolution. Southeastern Ohio’s counties have thousands of orphan oil wells, fracking wells and Class II waste brine wells, all of which can provide a path for CO2 leaks.
In 2009 citizens living in Darke County, Ohio successfully mobilized over a 14-month period to stop a proposed carbon sequestration project. “The 35-member Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Project canceled a $92.8 million proposal to inject 1 million tons of carbon dioxide over four years from an ethanol plant in Greenville, Western Ohio.”
The costs for CCS will be passed on to citizens. The Congressional Budget Office said, “Annual appropriations for CCS research and related programs totaled $5.3 billion over the 2011-23 period.”
According to the Government Accountability Office, “Only three projects were completed out of 11 CCS demonstration projects that were awarded money.”
In addition to funding these projects, citizens also will pick up the tab for the taxpayer subsidies granted to companies capturing CO2 through legislation known as 45Q. Currently, the subsidy is $85 a ton. A large power plant might net over $1 billion per year for carbon credits.
CCS is a gift to the polluting industries that are contributing to the climate crisis. This technology remains expensive and unproven. Do we want our rural communities subjected to dangerous Class VI wells and CCS infrastructure?
Randi Pokladnik, PhD
Uhrichsville