SPRINGFIELD — Legislation prohibiting carbon capture and sequestration activities over, under or through the Mahomet Aquifer, has been introduced in the Illinois Senate.
The bill, Senate Bill 3968, seeks to provide this protection to all sole-source aquifers. In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated a portion of the Mahomet Aquifer as a sole-source aquifer. It provides clean drinking water to more than 500,000 residents across 16 Illinois counties: Cass, Champaign, DeWitt, Ford, Fulton, Iroquois, Logan, Macon, Mason, McLean, Menard, Peoria, Piatt, Tazewell, Vermilion and Woodford.
State Sen. Paul Faraci, D-Champaign, who filed the bill, said in a news release Illinois is on track to be a leader in carbon capture technologies. However, that innovation must be balanced with a duty to protect essential resources.
“The Mahomet Aquifer is a lifeline for many residents, and while carbon sequestration can play a role in addressing climate change, we need to ensure it doesn’t put our community’s water at risk," Faraci said in a news release. “This measure is about exercising caution to protect the health and safety of our residents and safeguarding this crucial resource for our future generations.”
Several county governments, including McLean and Ford, have adopted resolutions pledging support of legislation aimed to protect sole-source aquifers from carbon sequestration. Both of these counties were targeted for a 7-mile sequestration pipeline designed to reduce the carbon emissions of One Earth Energy’s ethanol plant in Gibson City.
One Earth Energy President and CEO Steve Kelly has said three well sites connected to this project in McLean County would not be located beneath the Mahomet Aquifer or near its groundwater monitoring wells.
In July, the Illinois Safety and Aid for the Environment in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act was signed into law. As a result, a moratorium on the approval of new carbon dioxide pipelines was imposed for two years or until new safety rules are established by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
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The states producing the most carbon dioxide emissions
States Producing the Most Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Photo Credit: UliAb / Shutterstock
As the effects of climate change become more severe, policymakers worldwide are increasingly focused on how to limit greenhouse gas emissions, slow the pace of climate change, and mitigate climate risks.
World leaders met in Glasgow in November of last year for the latest United Nations climate conference, with the aim of setting new, more aggressive targets to reduce emissions and combat warming. The conference produced a number of pledges to accomplish this goal, including agreements to phase down the use of coal and fossil fuels for energy.
In the U.S., limiting carbon emissions has been a major goal in the first year of President Joe Biden’s administration. A $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed by Congress and signed into law in November included major new investments in the electric grid and clean energy, electric vehicle charging stations, and enhanced rail and public transportation systems to reduce emissions. The Biden Administration has also used other means to establish emissions reductions as a priority, including a broad pledge to cut the nation’s emissions by 2030 and an executive order outlining specific steps the federal government will take to reduce its carbon footprint from operations and procurement.
Strong U.S. action to reduce carbon emissions is critical to reducing emissions worldwide. As the world’s largest economy, the U.S. is one of the top producers of carbon emissions. The U.S. generates 5.1 billion tons of CO2 in total each year, behind only China at 11.1 billion. The U.S. also ranks second in carbon emissions on a per capita basis, with emissions of 15.6 tons of CO2, trailing Canada’s 17.8 tons of CO2 per capita.
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Globally the US ranks 2nd in total and per capita carbon emissions
While the U.S. remains among the top emitters worldwide, CO2 emissions have been trending downward over time. Total CO2 emissions reached a peak of around 6 billion tons in 2007, but since then, annual emissions have declined by almost 1 billion tons per year. Per capita emissions have shown a similar decline over the same period, even despite continued U.S. population and GDP growth over that period.
US CO2 emissions continue to decrease despite population and GDP growth
States in the U.S. contribute different amounts to these totals depending on factors like population, economic makeup, and government policy. Larger states like Texas and California tend to have the highest emissions on an absolute basis, but in some states this is mitigated at the per capita level by greater reliance on clean energy or policies like emissions targets. In contrast, many of the top states for carbon emissions on a per capita basis have both low populations and economies that rely heavily on fossil fuels for energy or industrial purposes, including Wyoming, North Dakota, and West Virginia.
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the U.S. Census Bureau. To determine the states with the largest carbon footprint, researchers at Commodity.com calculated per capita annual CO2 emissions. In the event of a tie, the state with the higher total annual CO2 emissions was ranked higher.
Here are the states with the most carbon dioxide emissions.
15. New Mexico
Photo Credit: photoBeard / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 21.7
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 45,400,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Petroleum
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14. Alabama
Photo Credit: Bob Pool / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 23.2
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 113,300,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Natural Gas
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13. Arkansas
Photo Credit: Jonathan C Wear / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 23.6
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 71,100,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Coal
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12. Texas
Photo Credit: Roschetzky Photography / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 23.9
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 684,000,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Industrial
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Petroleum
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11. Oklahoma
Photo Credit: Tim Pleasant / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 24.8
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 97,700,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Natural Gas
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10. Iowa
Photo Credit: wisit wongba / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 26.3
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 82,800,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Coal
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9. Kentucky
Photo Credit: The American Wanderer / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 27.1
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 121,200,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Coal
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8. Nebraska
Photo Credit: marekuliasz / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 27.2
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 52,500,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Coal
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7. Indiana
Photo Credit: Amy Nichole Harris / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 28.2
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 188,800,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Coal
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6. Montana
Photo Credit: Robert Paulus / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 29.0
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 30,800,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Coal
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5. Louisiana
Photo Credit: nektofadeev / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 42.7
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 199,300,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Industrial
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Natural Gas
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4. Alaska
Photo Credit: FloridaStock / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 47.6
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 35,100,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Industrial
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Natural Gas
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3. West Virginia
Photo Credit: Kristi Blokhin / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 49.8
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 90,000,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Coal
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2. North Dakota
Photo Credit: David Gaylor / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 77.7
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 59,100,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Coal
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1. Wyoming
Photo Credit: Jim Parkin / Shutterstock
- Per capita annual CO2 emissions (tons): 109.9
- Total annual CO2 emissions (tons): 63,600,000
- Sector that emits the most CO2: Electric Power
- Fuel that emits the most CO2: Coal
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Contact Drew Zimmerman at 309-820-3276. Follow Drew on Twitter: @DZimmermanLee
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