(The Center Square) – For the second time this year, a company with plans to build a carbon dioxide pipeline through Illinois has withdrawn its application.
Navigator Heartland Greenway, based in Nebraska, is expected to reapply with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) at a later time.
The pipeline would have stretched through five Midwestern states but has encountered opposition in Illinois, Iowa and South Dakota.
Pam Richart, co-founder of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, said there are too many unknowns with a project of this magnitude.
“There are still unanswered questions and they’re moving forward with a project which is on a scale not done before with safety and oversight measures not put in place yet by the federal government,” Richart told The Center Square.
The initial proposal involved nearly 300 miles of pipeline that would have run through 12 central Illinois counties.
Richart notes that the federal government is working on regulations on CO2 pipelines after investigating a 2020 pipeline explosion near Satartia, Mississippi, that sent 45 people to the hospital. Those regulations are expected in 2024.
This is the second time Navigator has withdrawn its application. If and when the company refiles with the ICC, an 11-month review process will restart.
“Make no mistake, Navigator is reassessing their project, but they’re not going away, and we will not go down without a fight,” said Steve Hess, a member of Citizens Against Heartland Greenway Pipeline.
A request for comment from Navigator went unanswered.
