This story, originally published by Capital & Main, discusses Senate Bill 831 in Pennsylvania that aims to establish an industry for capturing and burying carbon dioxide underground. The bill has bipartisan support in the divided state Legislature, with both Democrats and Republicans backing it.
Senate Bill 831, sponsored by Republican Senator Gene Yaw, has raised concerns among environmental groups. They worry about potential risks such as carbon dioxide leaks and the lack of consent from landowners near injection sites. The bill allows operators to inject carbon dioxide with just 60% landowner consent, waive liability after 10 years, and skip seismic monitoring under certain conditions.
Critics argue that these provisions are insufficient and could lead to negligence by operators. They point to a report by the Ohio River Valley Institute showing that no state sets the landowner consent bar lower than 60%. Concerns also arise from Pennsylvania’s geology, which includes numerous orphaned oil and gas wells that could create leakage pathways for stored carbon dioxide.
Despite opposition, the bill has garnered support from Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, who views carbon capture as crucial for Pennsylvania’s energy future. This bipartisan backing may help push SB 831 through the state House, where it currently awaits further action in the House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee.
While some environmentalists remain skeptical of the bill, others emphasize the need for appropriate environmental protections as it progresses through the legislative process. The support from both parties and industry groups indicates a complex web of interests at play in Pennsylvania’s energy policy landscape.
