State Sen. Josh Carnley (R–Ino) and State Rep. Matthew Hammett (R–Andalusia) announced on Tuesday their joint opposition to the proposed Pine Hills Carbon Storage Hub, a carbon capture and underground injection project planned for southern Covington County by Reliant Carbon Capture & Storage.
Hammett has prefiled HB 64, a local constitutional amendment to ban all Class V and Class VI EPA Carbon Storage sites from Covington County, which Carnley plans to carry in the State Senate next session.
"We're not going to allow this project to come to Covington County to be a testing ground for experimental carbon storage projects. This is a cash grab for bogus carbon credits — it's more of the typical waste, fraud and abuse we've seen with the majority of projects such as this," Carnley said. "We will not let this area be a dumping ground using unproven technology for out-of-state emissions — our communities depend on these forests, fields, and aquifers."
This experimental project was recently presented to the Covington County Commission. The group and its investors need federal EPA Class VI permits to inject captured CO₂ deep underground.
"As far as we're concerned, this project is a no-go in Covington County. Senator Carnley and I are in lockstep to fight this, together," Hammett said. "We don't need this kind of unproven Biden and Obama green New Deal project that won't even create sustainable local jobs. They should pack it up and find a new place to pump their sludge underground."
Carnley and Hammett pledged to work together through "all available government, private and public resources" to stop the project from coming to Covington County. They are also working to ensure stronger state review and permitting authority over any carbon storage project proposed in Alabama. They have already met with, spoken to and sent letters to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), the State Oil & Gas Board, and the Governor's Office to examine ways the state can assert its jurisdiction and protect rural property owners.
"We've been fielding a lot of calls and messages from the people of Covington County, and I want to tell you I hear you loud and clear," Carnley said. "We have to do our homework before we can go head-on against something, so Matthew and I have been considering all our options, and a local referendum to ban these kinds of projects is the strongest weapon in our arsenal. It lets the company know the people where your project is located voted it down, and it allows us as lawmakers to give the people a direct role in the decision."
Hammett and Carnley also encouraged residents to attend upcoming informational sessions and make their voices heard.
"Josh [Sen. Carnley] and I have been working on what we can do about this, since the first couple of calls we each got," Hammett said. "The people of Covington County's voices have been heard all through the halls of government about this issue. We cannot and will not allow our people's rights to be trampled on."
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