CHICAGO SUN*TIMES

July 27, 2023
 

Piping up on the dangers of CO2 pipelines and carbon capture

A single incident could unzip a CO2 pipeline for miles, leaving mass asphyxiation and trapped emergency vehicles in its wake.

The Sun-Times’ Editorial Board’s warning that “Transporting carbon dioxide to Illinois must be done safely” cannot come soon enough. Corporations like Navigator CO2 stand to make billions of dollars off these dangerous pipelines, thanks to generous tax credits in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. Wasting no time, a trio of pipeline profiteers are rushing to ram thousands of miles of CO2 pipelines from Illinois to North Dakota before adequate rules to guarantee safety can be finalized.

It’s far too dangerous to build this cart as we ride it. A single incident could unzip a CO2 pipeline for miles, leaving mass asphyxiation and trapped emergency vehicles in its wake. If industry has its way, networks like those proposed for the Midwest will be only the beginning, and millions of people will be put at risk.

What’s more, we are being asked to sacrifice safety for a scam. The carbon capture technology these projects rely on to qualify for federal climate-friendly credits is proven to fail. A Food & Water Watch study shows that no carbon capture projects have come close to performing as advertised.

Building hundreds of miles of dangerous pipelines to bolster a failed technology is a terrible idea. And that’s why opposition is growing; more than 150 groups sent a letter to President Joe Biden this spring, demanding that he issue an executive order pausing all permitting for CO2 pipelines and related infrastructure until robust safety regulations are finalized. We should not risk public safety for a corporate tax scam masquerading as climate action.

Jim Walsh, policy director, Food & Water Watch, Washington D.C.

Cook County needs to step up veteran funding

I would like to thank Emmanuel Camarillo for reporting on Veterans of Foreign Wars service officer John DeGroot’s recent appearance before the Cook County Board. 

Dutch, as he prefers to be called, addressed next year’s budget and the county’s historical funding shortfall for Cook County veterans. 

Sadly, the county funds the Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County at a much lower rate compared with the collar counties VACs. This is unacceptable, especially since our county veteran population dwarfs our neighbors. 

It’s past time county leadership adequately funds the Cook County VAC to better serve veterans and their families. Also, a recent change in the Cook County VAC leadership has brought much needed energy and a desire to work on behalf of the Cook County veteran community. 

The VACCC can be reached at 312-433-6010. I challenge Cook County veteran residents to contact their local commissioner and let their voices be heard.

Ramon Prieto, Niles