Public Reaction and Regulatory Response
Community members, led by retired teacher Verlyn Rosenberger, expressed deep concerns over leaks at ADM's carbon dioxide sequestration well, fearing for the safety of their drinking water sourced from .
Despite the leaks, the has confirmed there is no current threat to water sources, but the incidents have sparked debate over the transparency and viability of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as a climate solution.
Corporate and Political Actions
ADM executives attempted to reassure the public of the safety and necessity of CCS, despite delaying disclosure of the first leak detected in March, which coincided with the company's expansion petition and state CCS regulation negotiations.
Illinois Governor and bill sponsor, state Senator , were not informed of the leaks during the signing of the SAFE CCS Act, raising questions about the negotiation transparency and the state's regulatory readiness.