Central Illinois is seeing an onslaught of proposed carbon capture and sequestration projects.
Backed by federal money, these projects would store carbon underground at unprecedented scales — more than 100 times the current volumes stored by a few pilot projects at Archer Daniels Midland in Decatur.
The risks of this experimental technology, which has been heralded by some as a key solution to the climate crisis, are real and significant, putting the future viability of the Mahomet Aquifer at risk.
CO2 that leaks into the Mahomet Aquifer would form carbonic acid, changing the water chemistry. This could mobilize unknown contaminants that are present but currently non-reactive in the aquifer, including heavy metals like arsenic. These heavy metals risk acute and chronic toxicity, liver, kidney, and intestinal damage, anemia, and cancer.
Please consider signing the below petition to demand a ban on carbon capture and sequestration in the Mahomet Aquifer and its recharge areas.
