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Ohio hearing on carbon sequestration draws widespread opposition over safety, groundwater and property-rights concerns
Summary
At a third hearing on House Bill 170, dozens of opponents warned lawmakers that giving the Ohio Department of Natural Resources primacy over class 6 carbon sequestration wells risks groundwater contamination, seismic incidents, forced pooling and taxpayer liabilities; witnesses urged mandatory monitoring, stronger landowner protections and higher forced-pooling thresholds.
The House Natural Resources Committee held the third hearing on House Bill 170, a proposal to give the Ohio Department of Natural Resources authority to permit and regulate geologic carbon sequestration (class 6) wells rather than leave primacy with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Multiple scientists, county officials, farmers and environmental advocates urged lawmakers to pause or amend the bill, arguing Ohio’s geology, existing orphan wells and a history of injection-well problems make CCS risky. Dr. Randy Pekladnik, an environmental scientist who testified, said "This is not safe," citing peer‑reviewed studies, orphan wells, and chemical hazards tied to capture and storage.
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