Lawmakers hear hours of testimony on bill to let Covington County voters ban underground carbon storage

Representative Hammock, the bill sponsor, told the Economic Development and Tourism committee that House Bill 61 would put a countywide referendum on the November ballot allowing Covington County voters to ban all Class VI carbon capture and sequestration injection wells in the county. "I am asking that you vote yes today as a repeal of that project with the legislation that I presented last year," Hammock said, describing petitions, county resolutions and local opposition he brought to the desk.

The committee then opened a public hearing that drew a large turnout of residents, local officials and industry representatives. Blaine Wilson, a Covington County radio host, told lawmakers that "carbon sequestration is a scam" and urged them to protect landowner rights and local economies. Multiple residents and municipal officials said the Pinehill storage hub proposed by Reliant LLC threatens drinking-water formations and local tourism, arguing the region would shoulder most of the risk while receiving little direct economic benefit.

Industry and technical witnesses disputed that account. Gford Briggs, Gulf Coast region director for the American Petroleum Institute, described CCS as an established technology used to capture, transport and store CO2 and said Alabama's geology and prior projects support continued development. "When industry consider investing millions or billions of dollars in infrastructure, regulatory uncertainty and unpredictability are essential," Briggs said, warning that bans or unclear rules could slow job-creating projects.

Technical testimony highlighted unsettled issues. Ben Wernett, principal scientist for the Southern States Energy Board, described federal Class VI permitting requirements — including site characterization, monitoring, financial assurance and postclosure care — and noted operational history dating back decades. By contrast, several local engineers, property appraisers and long-term residents argued the Pinehill proposal would be unprecedented in scale, could depress property values and would present emergency‑response and groundwater risks.

Gabby Sanders, a civil and environmental engineer from Covington County, told the committee the Pinehill hub proposes to inject 30 million tons of CO2 annually through 44 wells beneath drinking-water formations and called the proposal "the largest carbon sequestration facility in the world." Several speakers urged that local governments and voters should have a decisive voice before such large-scale projects proceed.

Committee members asked the sponsor about local resolutions, municipal authorities and the state agencies that would oversee any permit. Members also noted Reliant had filed for a Class VI permit with EPA and reportedly been turned down once; the sponsor said the company is leasing land from private owners. The committee followed its longstanding rule not to vote on public hearing day and instead voted to refer HB61 to a study subcommittee. Representative James Lommax was appointed subcommittee chair with Representatives Hollis and Treadway as members to examine the technical, legal and local-consent issues further.

The committee's referral means HB61 will receive additional review before the body decides whether to advance the constitutional amendment to the full chamber. No formal policy change or vote on the measure occurred during the session.