LANSING – Some environmental agencies and organizations are concerned that carbon capture and storage legislation passed recently by the state Senate will harm Michigan’s environment.

Carbon capture and storage is the practice of capturing carbon dioxide in the air and storing it in rock formations underground.

The bills would establish a state regulatory framework that the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy would oversee instead of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Under the legislation, an applicant for a state permit would be required to provide notice of the project to all owners of land overlying a proposed storage reservoir, among other requirements.

The legislation “would invite this technology into the state without accounting for critical safeguards necessary to prevent leaks and contamination,” said Grace Noyola, the communications director at the Michigan Environmental Council.

She said that the bills “don’t ensure that sequestration operators are paying their fair share for the use of our state resources, charging only at most 32 cents per ton of stored carbon.”

Noyola also said the legislation might create long-term liability for sequestration projects for Michigan residents because ownership of “closed” projects would fall to the state, along with accountability for any leaks.

And Ben Poulson, the director of government affairs at the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, said, “We think that there are better ways to decarbonize the energy sector and support investments in things like wind and solar instead of paying to burn carbon and then capture carbon and then ship it across the state and store it.”

“All of that is very expensive. Just don’t burn carbon in the first place,” Poulson said.

The legislation would also allow operators to use funding from leases or royalties to pay for road construction through state forests.

The sponsors are Sens. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo, John Cherry, D-Flint, and Joseph Bellino Jr., R-Monroe.

Dale George, the director of communications at the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, said that in general, the department supports carbon capture and storage, saying the practice aligns with the MI Healthy Climate Plan.

That’s the state’s action plan to reach 100% carbon neutrality by 2050.

“Carbon capture and storage can play a valuable role in reducing industrial emissions, particularly where eliminating fossil fuels is not feasible,” George said.

“The department believes the practice must be carefully regulated to ensure environmental integrity, public safety and strong community protections,” he said. “ We remain committed to evaluating technologies that support Michigan’s climate goals when implemented responsibly.”

The legislation is pending in the House Energy Committee.