A public hearing in Alabama saw residents of Covington County divided over House Bill 61, which aims to ban CO2 storage projects. The bill, supported by local representatives, proposes a ban on projects like Reliant’s Pine Hills Storage pipeline and would allow voters to decide. Concerns raised included potential environmental risks and the long-term impact on groundwater, while industry experts highlighted the established safety of carbon capture storage technology and warned of potential impacts on private property rights.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Covington County residents packed a House Economic Development and Tourism Committee hearing Tuesday for House Bill 61, which would ban CO2 storage projects in the county. The bill proposes to prohibit CO2 storage projects such as Reliant’s proposed Pine Hills Storage pipeline and would allow Covington County voters to determine the outcome.
The public hearing drew standing-room-only crowds with supporters and opponents of the legislation. Rep. Matthew Hammett, the bill’s sponsor, said he was pleased to see his constituents show up in support. “I’m fighting for them, and you know, they came up here and showed their support for what we’re trying to do with House Bill 61,” Hammett said. “Some of them had to come 100 miles, so I was proud to see such a crowd here today.” Several Covington County residents spoke at the meeting, including engineer and longtime resident Gabby Sanders, who said the risks are too great. “At this scale, this is the largest proposed in the world,” Sanders said. “Every engineering project has a level of uncertainty, and we have to build safety factors into that. There’s just not a lot of background on these types of projects that gives me a lot of certainty on this type of project.”“If this contaminates our groundwater, that’s something that can impact my children and my great-grandchildren,” Sanders said. “And it may be fine for 10, 20 years, but we don’t know the long-term impacts of a project like this.” Industry experts also attended the hearing, speaking to the practice of carbon capture storage as an established technology. “And this is a technology that has been in place since the 1970s,” said Gifford Briggs with the American Petroleum Institute. “We’ve been safely injecting and storing CO2 underground for a long time.”Others who opposed the bill highlighted concerns about its potential effects, including its disregard for private property rights. The committee took no action on the bill but will study it further. Committee Chair Andy Whitt said the issue requires more examination. “We know that it’s very passionate on both sides. So, with that, I do think that we need to study this more. I think us as a committee need to study what’s going on, the pros and cons,” Whitt said. “I have always valued common sense and fairness. We shouldn’t abandon those. I do think that we need to send these members to a subcommittee for further study.” After the subcommittee reviews it, House Bill 61 will return to the full committee, which will then decide whether to move the bill forward. Hammett said he has his work cut out for him and predicts other lawmakers will file more bills regarding CO2 storage in the near future. Download the WTVY News4 app to get alerts and stories the moment they are published. Available for FREE in theAlabama bill would crack down on disability placard use
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