The Chicago Tribune reports that proponents of massive new carbon dioxide pipeline projects need to address what they say are alarming gaps in health and safety regulations.
For instance, there are no state or federal requirements that pipelines be located away from a home, school or hospital; there is no requirement that CO2 has any smell added to it to help people detect a leak, and there is no limit on impurities in the gas that could promote corrosion of pipelines.
A leak in Mississippi in 2020 sent more than 40 people to the hospital and resulted in a fine for the pipeline operator of $2.8 million according to the terms of an order filed late last week.
The operator of a locally proposed pipeline – Navigator CO2 Ventures – wants to run 39 miles of pipeline through Sangamon County.
The company made a presentation to residents earlier this month, in which it pointed out that the pipeline has 24/7 monitoring, a lockdown system that would prevent a burst from spreading further up or down the line, and bi-weekly air monitoring by plane or drone.
