Experts Sound Alarm on Unregulated CO2 Pipeline Through the Bay Delta

The Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Commission devoted the bulk of its April 27 meeting to a stark warning: a proposed 45-mile underwater carbon dioxide pipeline through the San Francisco Bay Delta would run near more than 150,000 residents with no finalized federal or state safety regulations in place. Commissioners grilled two national experts, debated whether carbon capture is a climate lifeline or a fossil fuel lifeline, and agreed to invite the project developer for a future hearing.

• Experts detail safety, ecological and regulatory gaps in the Montezuma Carbon Sequestration Hub, a proposed 45-mile underwater CO2 pipeline through the Bay Delta
• Commissioners clash over whether carbon capture is worth the risk, with some calling the technology unproven and others asking what alternatives exist to fight the climate crisis
• Five additional carbon sequestration projects flagged in the Delta region, one overlapping Discovery Bay's 15,000 residents
• Hazmat program transfers to fire department July 1, upgrading from 8-to-5 coverage to around-the-clock response
• Chronic commissioner absences threaten quorum; two seats flagged for potential vacancy and bylaws review fast-tracked

The commission's Operations Committee invited two national experts — Isabel Penman of Food and Water Watch and Amanda McKay of the Pipeline Safety Trust — to present on the Montezuma Carbon Sequestration Hub Project, a proposal by Montezuma LLC to build an underwater CO2 pipeline connecting industrial facilities, including Chevron's Richmond refinery and a PG&E gas plant in Antioch, to an injection site near Collinsville in Solano County.