The Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) adopted new rules overseeing carbon sequestration and carbon dioxide pipelines at its meeting Tuesday evening.
The rules establish permitting processes, operational requirements, and compliance standards for industry participants, as well as protections for neighboring landowners.
Five Hoosiers who live near a potential site for carbon sequestration in Terre Haute voiced their concerns before the NRC adopted the new rules.
“I'm feeling absolutely frustrated,” said Whitney Boyce, a lifetime Vigo County resident. “We have been for over two years fighting against this.”
She and others worry that carbon storage projects could be a threat to public safety and area drinking water. The only large CO2 storage site currently operating had a leak last year.
They also have concerns about the DNR’s public comment process, with Boyce and others saying the meetings are purposefully held far away from project areas.
General Counsel for the DNR Stephanie Flittner said they follow Indiana code for all meeting site selections.
“Today's meeting was dictated by the NRC, which is the commission,” she said. “It was selected, I think, in our March meeting, which would have been before the agenda was finalized for this specific topic.”
The Department of Natural Resources has been developing the rules since 2023 when lawmakers granted it that authority. The rules were preliminarily adopted in March of this year before the final adoption at the Tuesday’s meeting.
