This comes after several Covington County residents spoke at last month's public hearing regarding the bill.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - House Bill 61 , which would ban CO2 storage projects in Covington County , has been delayed for consideration by the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee. The legislation would prohibit carbon storage projects like Reliant’s proposed Pine Hills Storage Pipeline and allow Covington County voters to determine the outcome.
Committee Chairman Andy Whitt cited concerns about violating private property rights as a key issue with the bill. “People live in the county for a reason, and they’re not constrained to city limits. People should have the ability to do what they want to on their own property, as long as it passes ADM, EPA, and all of those, in which this project does,” Whitt said.“I’m a little disappointed. I think if Chairman Witt would let it out, I think we have the votes. Like I said, I’m disappointed, but we’ll keep having a conversation with the chairman and the committee members, see if we can get it back up for a vote later on,” Hammett said.“It affects all of South Alabama, and we really need to take a deep dive into this and look at it if we’re going to do something or we’re not going to do something in the state,” Whitt said. Several Covington County residents spoke at last month’s public hearing for the bill, saying that despite strict regulations, the risks to the environment far outweigh the rewards.“We’ve got to go in negotiations and try to talk with Chairman Witt and see if we can come up with a solution about his issues. We’re going to keep fighting, so Senator Josh Carnley’s working from upstairs. I’m going to keep working down here,” Hammett said. The decision to carry over to the chair’s call does not mean the bill is dead. When the bill comes back up for discussion is up to the discretion of Chairman Whitt. Download the WTVY News4 app to get alerts and stories the moment they are published. Available for FREE in theRoad rage incident results in multiple felony charges for Bonifay manHouston County Farm Center gets $6.5 million makeover, set to reopen in MarchNews4 First Alert Weather Extra | 2/11/26Pair of black gloves found near Nancy Guthrie’s home being tested for DNA
CO2 Storage Projects Co2alabama Pine Hills Storage Pipeline Andy Whitt Matthew Hammett House Bill 61 Covington County Alabama Alabama Legislative Session
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