While carbon dioxide is not harmful to humans in small amounts — it’s exhaled in every breath we take — in high concentrations CO2 can displace oxygen within the gas plume.
“The fact that purified and highly pressurized carbon dioxide gas can explode out of pipelines and suffocate communities is more than enough reason for the Commission to immediately exercise authority over them,” Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Attorney Hudson Kingston said after the commission vote. “The rulemaking should further clarify that authority, and should not let any projects get a free pass.”
The companies planning to capture and store carbon dioxide say the rulemaking process and potential pipeline routing process to follow could significantly delay the projects.
