PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Members of the Peoria City Council will hear a presentation Tuesday night regarding a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline that would pass through two miles of South Peoria
The pipeline is only a proposal and the builders still need to submit an application to the Illinois Commerce Commission but the pipeline which would run from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Decatur, is a concern for local lawmakers and environmental activists.
At their meeting, council members will hear a presentation from City Manager Patrick Urich and other city staff regarding the pipeline.
If constructed, the pipeline would travel through South Peoria and near the Illinois River before crossing into Tazewell County and into Decatur where the carbon dioxide would be stored in the ground. It was unclear if BioUrja, which produces ethanol at the former ADM plant, would be connected to the pipeline.
The pipeline would be built and run by Wolf Carbon Solutions, which is based in Canada, Urich said. Both Illinois and the federal government have made carbon reduction a key element in a campaign to combat climate change. In 2011, the state passed the Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Sequestration Act which states that such pipelines are a benefit to both residents and a cleaner environment.
Additionally, the federal government has made both dollars and tax credits available for such projects.
The local chapter of the Sierra Club has come out against the project, saying such projects “are a danger to health and safety.”
City Hall has little say in the matter, however. Urich said the 2011 measure approved in Illinois took that away from local government. The council can either support it, be neutral, ask for more safety measures or oppose it. However, none of that has any regulatory power.
As there is no application yet submitted, a pipeline, if it were to be built, is likely several years down the road.
In other business, the council will hear a proposed ordinance that would allow them to recapture money spent by the city’s fire department at car accidents. Urich said the measure would allow the city to bill insurance companies for services rendered during a traffic incident. Drivers would not be charged, and Urich said most insurance policies already include coverage for emergency services already.
