Residents press Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith on carbon sequestration, eminent domain and aquifer risks

Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith said he opposes using eminent domain to force carbon sequestration projects on reluctant landowners and pledged to have his team press state regulators for details after residents described the proposed Wabash Valley Resources project and its possible effects on farmland and local water. "I'm a huge supporter of local control," Beckwith said, adding that he will "have our team look into that" and contact the Department of Natural Resources.

The issue came during a sustained public-comment block in which Susan, a farmer and resident of Vigo County, told Beckwith the company planned to inject "supercritical CO2" under local land and that state law had been altered to favor such projects. A teacher who identified herself as Whitney said she had raised…