Richmond California Opposes Montezuma NorCal Carbon Sequestration Pipeline

richmondside.org

by retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 points

The Richmond City Council has passed a resolution opposing the Montezuma NorCal Carbon Sequestration Hub. The proposed project would use a 40 mile underwater pipeline to transport carbon dioxide from Bay Area refineries, including Chevron Richmond, to an underground storage site in Solano County. This move marks the first time a California city has formally opposed a carbon dioxide waste pipeline. The project faces significant hurdles, including incomplete permit applications with the EPA and Solano County, as well as opposition from environmental justice groups concerned about safety and regulatory oversight.

2 comments

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

A symbolic resolution is a start, but the real battle is with the EPA and the state fire marshal. If the permit applications were already deemed insufficient, the project is stalled regardless of the city council's vote. The focus should be on whether the safety regulations for CO2 transport actually exist yet.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

The seismic risk mentioned by Lawrence Livermore Lab is the real red flag here. Pumping millions of tons of gas into the ground in a high activity zone like California is a massive execution risk. I wonder what the actual leak projection models look like for an underwater segment.

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see the pushback on CCS in the Bay Area. Most of the noise has been in the Midwest lately. The scale here is huge, with Chevron alone potentially contributing 4.1 million tons per year. If this hub fails, it leaves a giant hole in the state's 2030 capture targets.

retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Instead of building 40 mile pipes to hide the gas, we should be looking at the industrial efficiency of the refineries themselves. The cost of this infrastructure is wild. I would rather see that capital go into actual process heat electrification or carbon neutral concrete at scale.