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Carbon capture has a place in Illinois' climate-change toolkit

Approaching downstate Decatur by car, it's not unusual to smell the huge Archer Daniels Midland industrial complex before seeing it. The sweet aroma of fermenting grain wafts through vehicle windows and air vents, a sign that ethanol fuel is being brewed. That process, in turn, produces carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

ADM has been pioneering carbon capture and sequestration, an emerging technique to liquefy and bury carbon dioxide that otherwise would go into the atmosphere. This page has supported the efforts to bring carbon capture online at a scale that could make a big positive difference as the world moves—slowly—to reduce emissions.

Rural Illinois especially stands to benefit from an unusual geological formation that makes the state ideal for carbon capture. With the Biden administration providing enormous grants and tax incentives to promote the technology, Illinois could be in line for billions of dollars in new investments that would create thousands of jobs.

Nobody said it would be easy—and we're disappointed to see just how difficult this pollution-busting effort has become. Not once but twice so far this year, leaks have marred the progress being made at ADM's carbon-dioxide sequestration wells, and the company stands accused of failing to properly monitor its operations and follow its approved emergency plan.

These issues have contributed to exaggerated fears about suffocating gas bubbling up from deep below, horror-movie-style, or infiltrating the water supply. No one wants to turn on their taps and get hot and cold running club soda, after all.

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