WHEELING, W.Va. — Environmental advocates are warning residents in the Ohio Valley about potential dangers tied to proposed carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects, citing safety, water usage, and regulatory concerns.
The FreshWater Accountability Project announced it will hold two public meetings next week to share information about CCS plans and the risks of the emerging industry. The sessions are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling, and Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Mary H. Weir Public Library in Weirton.
According to the group, CCS — a process that captures carbon dioxide and stores it underground — relies on “significant government (taxpayer) incentives, requires vast amounts of water and energy, and if not adequately regulated, poses a hazard to the communities in which it operates.”
Advocates cited the 2020 carbon dioxide pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi, which sickened residents and caused vehicles to stall, as a warning for what could happen if projects are not properly managed.
West Virginia has already obtained “primacy” to regulate CCS, meaning the state — not the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — oversees the permitting process. The Ohio legislature is considering a similar move through Senate Bill 136, which would transfer authority over Class VI sequestration wells to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Environmental groups say ODNR has already struggled with oversight of Class II injection wells used in oil and gas operations.
“The company has failed to provide adequate public participation and has not discussed the possible externalities and safety issues associated with transporting and storing a known asphyxiant in our communities,” said Dr. Randi Pokladnik, board member of Ohio Valley Environmental Advocates.
Lea Harper, managing director of FreshWater Accountability Project, said: “We do not know the cumulative impacts and threats to our water from all the thirsty industries coming to this area. With fracking using 14 million gallons on average per frack, with data centers needing massive amounts of water and now the water demands of the proposed carbon sequestration, Ohio should be doing a water study in Southeast Ohio like they did for Central Ohio. We do not want the Ohio Valley to suffer further environmental and economic harms as it has from a long legacy of extractive industries taking profits and leaving the legacy toxic waste and remediation cost with us.”
Dr. Steve Jansto of Research and Development Resources added: “My research and experience in the steel industry tells me that if the needed corrosion studies are not done in the rush to deploy CCS to take advantage of government incentives, there could be another Archer Daniels hazardous migration or Satartia disaster in the Ohio Valley. If the proper materials and regulations are not specified, the industry could reap short-term profits at our long-term loss.”
The group says the company Tenaska is leasing land and planning to drill test wells in the tri-state area despite a lack of a clear regulatory framework.
For more information, residents can contact the FreshWater Accountability Project at wewantcleanwater@gmail.com
or visit carboncapturefacts.org.
Source: FreshWater Accountability Project Ohio
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