PORT BYRON, Ill. — Discussions surrounding the ADM carbon dioxide pipeline are continuing to occur in the Quad Cities area.
ADM's plan is to have an underground pipeline to transport liquified carbon dioxide from the ADM plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Decatur, Illinois. The complete route of the pipe is about 280 miles long and would move 12 million tons of CO2 between Iowa to Illinois. Comparatively, the ADM Decatur plant has been holding 500,000 tons of captured carbon since 2017.
Helping to facilitate the planning and containment of the carbon dioxide is Wolf Carbon Solutions, a company based out of Denver. At this time Wolf Carbon Solutions is the only company in North America with a capture carbon pipeline, located in Alberta, Canada.
Some residents from communities around the Quad Cities have been against the construction of this pipeline, from Camanche, Iowa to Henry and Stark Counties in Illinois. Organizations have been holding forums to talk about the dangers of captured carbon dioxide and steps landowners can utilize to try to halt the construction.
"People should think closely about the risks a CO2 pipeline brings," Holly Mirell, a Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines volunteer, said. "Gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles will not run if CO2 levels are high enough."
Others have voiced concerns about the dangers if the pipe were to leak, due to the amount of pressure necessary to move carbon dioxide in a liquid form. The coalition cites a situation in Mississippi where the force inside the pipe burst through the ground, sending a concentrated amount of gaseous CO2 to nearby cities. The incident caused 45 people to receive medical attention for CO2 inhalation.
The program is held at the River Valley District Library, and will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14. Community members are encouraged to come.
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