SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – A bill awaiting Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature would create a path for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) pipelines in the state.

An agreement between industry, labor and environmental groups, the plan creates a regulatory framework allowing carbon capture projects.

The push comes as Illinois looks to meet its goals in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. Lawmakers are looking for new ways to go carbon free. It’s why they lifted the nuclear powerplant construction moratorium in 2023 and groups worked together throughout the spring to find compromise to allow and regulate CCS pipelines in the state.

“Right now, Illinois has almost no regulation in this space. No safeguards to keep our environment and our communities safe as we explore this new technology,” said State Rep. Ann Williams, (D-Chicago), the bill’s House sponsor.

The bill would put a moratorium on projects until July 1, 2026, unless the federal government finalizes updated carbon dioxide safety rules. It would also create emergency and environmental justice funds as well as require the pipelines to be monitored for at least 30 years.

“We are capturing our carbon, we are doing it in a safe manner, and we are making our environment better than it was before these bills,” said State Rep. Jay Hoffman, (D-Swansea).

Not everyone’s on board with the bill. Agriculture groups, including the Illinois Farm Bureau, are upset about the lack of protection for property owners who could have CCS pipelines running under their land without required adequate compensation. If 75% of the landowners in the pipeline’s path agree to be part of the project, the company can petition the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to require the remaining holdouts to join.

“This is a taking, there’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. When you force a landowner into an impossible position where they either have to accept less than what they would have otherwise accepted or get zero, that’s a taking. It’s unconstitutional on its face,” said State Sen. Chapin Rose, (R-Mahomet).

Rep. Williams said landowners would be able to present their case to IDNR including what they consider to be fair compensation and market value.

Both the House and Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support.

Though Pritzker has not signed the bill yet, he did issue a statement after the senate passed the bill on May 26 praising the bill’s “nation-leading safety and environmental standards around carbon capture and sequestration while bringing thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in investment to Illinois.”

Pritzker added he intends to sign the bill into law.

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