(The Center Square) – A carbon dioxide pipeline in Alabama that would be one of the largest carbon sequestration hubs in the U.S. has drawn opposition from its neighbor to the south, Florida’s Walton County.
The Pine Hills Storage Hub by Reliant Carbon Capture & Storage LLC is proposed for Covington County, Alabama, at the edge of Florida’s panhandle. It would cover approximately 104,000 acres in Alabama and could store more than 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, with the ability to expand further, according to Reliant.
The project has also been criticized by some Alabama lawmakers, including state Rep. Matthew Hammett, who told the Walton County Board of Commissioners it could affect both states’ groundwater.
“It’s not just a Covington County problem. One of the sites is within two miles of Paxton (Florida) city limits. The same groundwater that is in Florala and Lockhart (Alabama) is the same groundwater that every city in the Florida panhandle gets their water out of. If it’s just a 1% chance something happens, that’s too much. It could affect millions of people,” said Hammett.
Walton County commissioners agreed to write a letter to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and others in an effort to stop the pipeline.
When it was announced, Reliant CEO Tom McCarthy said the sequestration hub “will provide the key components required to decarbonize heavy industry in this region.”
A representative for Reliant told The Center Square the project would operate under the strictest federal safety standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Class VI Underground Injection Control program, created as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act to protect underground sources of drinking water.
“Reliant has had many conversations with community leaders and residents about the Pine Hills Storage Hub over the past several weeks,” the company’s statement said. “We’ve heard a wide range of sincere questions and concerns. As we’ve said, this project is still in the very early stages of development. We have submitted a permit application with the (Environmental Protection Agency), and that review process typically takes more than a year. This is a rigorous process to ensure that before the Pine Hills Storage Hub can move forward, it is proven safe – safe for drinking water, safe for the land and safe for all the people of the area. We anticipate it will be several years before construction can begin.”
The company has not yet received a permit from the Alabama Oil and Gas Board, according to Hammett. He said he’s pre-filed a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would ban Class 5 and Class 6 carbon dioxide disposal wells in Covington County.
Christa Merrifield, a real estate agent who operates in south Alabama and the Florida Gulf Coast, told Walton County commissioners the project could affect the area’s water system.
“It’s not just going to be a serious issue for Covington County, but it’s going to be a serious issue for Walton County,” said Merrifield.
Paxton resident Hailee Bryan said she worries about the impact of a potential pipeline leak.
“These pipelines transport compressed carbon dioxide and can be detrimental if a leak or rupture were to occur,” Bryan wrote in a letter to the commission.
“Catastrophic events like explosions or asphyxiation hazards are elevated especially in a region with our climate and ecological sensitivity. Our areas have seen many severe weather events such as hurricanes, hard freezes, and heat waves, and since this pipeline will be buried ‘about 5 feet deep’ the chance of a leak or rupture seems to rise with potential severe weather that happens often.”
