Illinois § 59.18

§ 59.18.

Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission. (a) The Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission is hereby created to study and review any reports submitted to the Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission regarding the safety of carbon capture and storage in the Mahomet Aquifer Area and any sole source aquifer project review areas designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Commission shall consist of the following members: (1) the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Director's designee; (2) the Director of Natural Resources or the Director's designee; (3) the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security or the Director's designee; (4) the Director of Agriculture or the Director's designee; (5) the Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee; (6) 3 members appointed by the President of the Senate, only one of whom may be a Senator; (7) 3 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, only one of whom may be a Representative; (8) 3 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, only one of whom may be a Senator; and (9) 3 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, only one of whom may be a Representative. All meetings of the Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission shall be open to the public and shall be held within the Mahomet Aquifer Area region or within 25 miles of the region. The Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission shall maintain a website where all reports and studies submitted to or approved by the Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission shall be posted for public display. The University of Illinois shall provide administrative assistance to the Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission. No later than 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, the Commission shall hold its first meeting at the call of the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, at which meeting the members shall select a chairperson from among themselves. After its first meeting, the Commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson. Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation. Members' terms shall be 3 years, and members may be reappointed by their respective appointing authority. (b) Subject to appropriation, the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shall submit a final report on the potential for carbon sequestration in the Mahomet Aquifer Area and any project review areas to the Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission no later than December 31, 2030. The Prairie Research Institute shall submit annual status reports by December 31, 2027 and December 31 of each year thereafter until the final report is submitted on December 31, 2030. The final report shall provide an assessment of the safety and risks of carbon dioxide storage in the Mahomet Aquifer and its project review areas, including, but not limited to, any effects on human, animal, and environmental health. The report shall review carbon sequestration conducted in Illinois and other similarly situated states, particularly how carbon sequestration affects aquifers and other underground water sources. The report shall review the permitting processes and the coordination with applicable federal law or regulatory commissions, including the Class VI injection well permitting process. (c) The Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission shall also engage with interested stakeholders throughout the State to gain insights into safety perspectives from residents, environmental justice organizations, environmental nongovernmental organizations, representatives of industry, landowners, farm bureaus, manufacturing interests, labor unions, and others. (d) The Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission shall submit a final report of its findings regarding the Mahomet Aquifer and its project review areas to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2031. The Commission may file status updates with the Governor and the General Assembly as determined by a majority of the members. (e) The Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Study Commission is dissolved and this Section is repealed on January 1, 2032. (Source: P.A. 104-119, eff. 1-1-26.)