CO2 Pipeline Risks
Inside Climate News: "EVs and $9,000 air tanks: Iowa first responders fear the dangers—and costs—of CO2 pipelines." Developers, incentivized by $12 billion in federal incentives, propose lengthy CO2 pipelines across the Midwest. Plumes of accidentally released CO2 pose unique risks to communities + emergency responders. "When a carbon dioxide pipeline ruptured in 2020 in Mississippi, it released a massive cloud of the gas that traveled more than a mile into the nearby hamlet of Satartia, sending 45 residents to the hospital and prompting the evacuation of 200 others." CO2 is invisible, denser than air, + suffocaters victims. "Dan Harvey, fire chief for the Gruver Fire Department in Emmet County, Iowa, said it would cost the five fire departments in his county—all of which are run by volunteers—more than $370,000 to upgrade their current air tanks, which can hold about 15-20 minutes-worth of oxygen." The 45-minutes air tanks run about $9,280 each. CO2 can not only suffocate animals + people in minutes, but stall out engines running on gas or diesel. "First responders at the Satartia incident quickly realized that when some of their own vehicles died as they attempted to rescue others." Other expenses these counties face is buying oxygen + CO2 monitors, paying for additional training for staff + educational materials for the public. "At least two developers—Summit Carbon Solutions and Wolf Carbon Solutions—are planning to build pipelines that would stretch hundreds to thousands of miles through several Midwest states." Many of Iowa's cash-strapped emergency response agencies, which rely on volunteers + community fundraising events, could be saddled with those expenses. One official doubts her department could safely respond + she won't risk the lives of her crew. “I feel horrible having to tell some landowners, ‘We may not be able to come and get you if something happens,’” Cruelly, often this pipeline-transported CO2 is used to inject petroleum formations—to enhance oil recovery—which negates the attempt to solve the greenhouse gas dilemma we're facing
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