THE FOLLOWING RELEASE IS FROM STATE REP BRANDUN SCHWEIZER’S OFFICE
SPRINGFIELD, IL… State Representative Brandun Schweizer (R-Danville) issued the following release after SB 1723, a measure to protect the Mahomet Aquifer, passed the House Energy and Environment Committee in a 20-5-0 vote. Rep. Schweizer is a Chief Co-Sponsor of the legislation. Rep. Carol Ammons is the bill’s House Chief Sponsor.
The Mahomet Aquifer is a Sole-Source Aquifer, a designation given by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to water sources that are the primary or only drinking water source for an area. The Mahomet Aquifer provides drinking water to 15 of Illinois’ counties for all water needs, including drinking water and agricultural uses. In those 15 counties alone, over 1 million people rely on the aquifer, including the entirety of Schweizer’s 104th House District.
The bill would ban carbon sequestration in any sequestration facilities that overlies, underlies, or passes through a sole-source aquifer, like the Mahomet Aquifer. Additionally, this legislation creates the Mahomet Aquifer Study Commission to study and review the safety of carbon capture and storage under the Mahomet Aquifer. The Commission will be made up of 12 members, three members each being from each of the four Caucuses, with only one legislator from each Caucus being a part of the Commission.
The Commission must submit a final report of its findings to the General Assembly and the Governor no later than December 31, 2031. The Commission requires the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, to submit a final report on the potential for carbon sequestration in the Mahomet Aquifer area by December 31, 2030, and requires annual reports until the final report is submitted. The Commission will dissolve on January 1, 2032, following the final reports.
“I am thrilled to see this important legislation pass the Senate and now the House Energy and Environment Committee,” said Rep. Schweizer. “Ensuring access to clean drinking water for over a million Illinoisans should be a top priority. I thank Representative Ammons for her leadership on this issue in the House and Senators Faraci and Rose for their hard work and support in the Senate to ensure this measure was passed. We are one step closer to protecting the Mahomet Aquifer and prohibiting avoidable accidental contamination in the drinking water for a million central Illinoisans.”
The bill now awaits further action in the House. To monitor the bill’s progress, visit ilga.gov. For questions regarding the legislation, please contact Rep. Schweizer at (217) 477-0104 or at RepSchweizer.com.
