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Landowner warns McLean County board that CO2 sequestration leases remain on hold and raise long‑term liability concerns
Summary
Susan Adams, chair of the Illinois Water Authority Association, told the McLean County Board that a March 5 pore‑space lease termination stopped lease payments but left sequestration well permits and easement liens unresolved; she said the post‑injection monitoring period (PISC) is being shortened in practice from a 50‑year EPA default to 10–12 years, leaving potential long‑term liability with landowners.
Susan Adams of Atlanta, Illinois, who identified herself as chair of the Illinois Water Authority Association and of the Mahomet Aquifer consortium, addressed the McLean County Board during public comment to update members on carbon‑capture and sequestration (CCS) activity affecting some county landowners.
Adams said a pore‑space lease in the area was terminated in a letter to landowners as of March 5, but that related sequestration well leases and permits remain on hold rather than fully terminated and remain visible on the U.S. EPA dashboard. She said landowners who signed leases would no longer receive payments and that some were still waiting for 2025 payments.
Adams described procedures that would occur if injection were completed: a sequestration company would record a permanent document on deeds indicating CO2 storage details and post‑injection site care (PISC) would follow. She said the companies requested PISC periods of 10 to 12 years while the U.S. EPA regulation specifies a 50‑year default for post‑injection monitoring; she warned that the state is reluctant to assume liability and that long‑term costs of leaks or contamination could fall to landowners.
Adams encouraged board members to ask questions and said she would follow up by sending comments to the county. The board did not take formal action at the meeting on this topic.
