Is the DeWitt County Board softening its stance on carbon capture?
In August the Board approved a ban on carbon capture in DeWitt County but last Thursday at the DeWitt County Board meeting, the Board discussed zoning for carbon capture in DeWitt County. On the WHOW Morning Show Friday, DeWitt County Board Chair Dan Matthews told Regional Radio the Board perhaps a bit too quick to ban CO2 storage.
According to Matthews, this is also a move that anticipates the State of Illinois stepping in with regulations like they did with wind and solar. He admits they also need to learn more about the process.
For Matthews, how they worded last month's revision to the County code to ban the practice could have been handled differently. He points to a few surrounding counties that have put moratoriums on projects and other temporary measures.
Matthews did defend his Board's decision noting Navigator was telling them in early 2023 they planned to have applications ready to submit and so the Board felt compelled to act but as it got closer to those dates they were talking about, things started to change for them.
Matthews believes the County has a good relationship with Navigator, the company seeking to develop CO2 storage wells in DeWitt County. He also believes they have been fair in giving them the attention they have been seeking as they pursue their project in DeWitt County.
