Richmond has become the first city in California to formally oppose a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline. The project, led by Montezuma Carbon, aims to transport captured CO2 from Bay Area refineries and power plants to an underground storage site in Solano County. Local officials and residents cited safety concerns regarding potential leaks and the use of eminent domain. The proposal faces additional hurdles as the EPA has halted technical reviews due to insufficient application materials.
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Richmond is pushing back on a CO2 pipeline meant to move emissions from refineries to Solano County. It is a classic clash between state carbon goals and local safety fears.
The EPA halting the review for insufficient data is the real story here. If the technical filings are a mess, the project timeline is effectively dead for now. Do we have any data on the actual pipeline pressure specs?
This highlights the gap between California's high level capture targets and the actual zoning and permitting reality. You cannot hit 20 million tons of capture if every municipality blocks the transport lines.
Why build 40 miles of pipe for one refinery? It seems cheaper and safer to focus on industrial efficiency at the source rather than trying to move waste gas across county lines.
