LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Posted April 28, 2022

Mr. Miller,

I have listened to your editorials over the past few year and generally have agreed with the sentiments you share on you rural central Illinois radio stations.  However, the editorial concerning the Christian County economic benefits of carbon wells and pipeline did not acknowledge the ad dollars the companies have spent with your company.  As an individual I respect your right to hold any opinion, but as a business owner your credibility on this topic is the same as the company paying you and attempting to site the project.  That credibility not ZERO, but its pretty close. 

For the specifics of the carbon project.  As is stands, this project will not bring any tax revenue to any government agencies.  The carbon wells and pipeline are not taxable.  The county is looking to add a mechanism to tax the wells to offset some of the use our natural resources and risk associated with the fledging industry.  There are currently no businesses or Industry asking for this carbon dump to add jobs and resources to our area.  The farmers would receive a modest payment, but most have expressed its not worth the risk.  This project provides no specific economic benefit to our county and adds to the environmental pollution risk.

If you believe climate change is man made, this carbon dump and legislative infrastructure will allow fossil fuels to continue to be used to further pollute the environment.  There is not enough pore space in Central Illinois to hold the carbon pollution of the world.  Therefore the minor positive environment impact is not worth the dollar invested.

If you are skeptical of the man made climate change movement, this project is a pyramid scheme to funnel my tax dollars and yours to a few companies.  (Think of all the money spent on the “Hole in the Ozone”).  And most likely those companies will funnel some of the money back to legislators that came up with the carbon sequestration concept. 

As for other green energy project interest in our county.  Wind towers, Solar panels, Batteries storage fields.  As they have been approved or proposed, these projects provide very little economic benefit to our residents.  Some new tax revenue or less current property tax depending on how the taxing body handles the project.  The companies are not local and the energy produced does not stay local.  There may be potential for economic development for companies to locate here and use this “green” energy, but this has not been a part of the conversation so far.  While it is true the grain produced does not stay local, agriculture provides many local jobs.  Our area soil is uniquely suited for growing crops that does not require irrigation or over abundance of fertilizer.  Solar panels could be put literally anywhere else.  Including the buildings and the houses of those using the energy that came from our area.  Illinois continues to lose population and the State, County and Local green energy policy is telling our current residents “You don’t have to live here to use our resources, we will send them to you.”  Why look at windmills, solar panel, carbon well fields if you can move some where else and still get the benefit. 

As you can probably tell, my bias is towards preserving farmland and the rural heritage of this county. That said, I am not opposed to some green energy projects that provide a significant economic impact to our county residents.  So far, none of these projects qualify to my standards.  I believe in individual property rights, so if you want to sink a carbon well on your property, install solar panels or erect wind towers on your own property the County should provide zoning ordinances that allow you do so, while providing reasonable protection for your neighbors. 

Reasonable people can disagree on topics and still have a civil conversation..  I hope this letter meets that criteria.  This is certainly how I approach my involvement on the County Board.  I have a responsibility to myself, my family and my constituents to stand up for what I think is the best interest of our County. 

Kenneth Franklin

Christian County Board District 2

Taylorville, IL

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Posted April 28, 2022

Dear Editor:

I believe that it was in November that the Navigator CO2 project, Heartland Greenway, made a presentation to the county board and laid out their vision for storing CO2 under Christian County farm ground. Since that time, they have been conducting a major campaign including public meetings, mailings, and print and media ads as well as personal contacts with county board members.

Those of us who are landowners in the proposed storage area were contacted at the beginning of 2022.  Packets of information with financial offers were hand delivered to our homes.  We reviewed the packets and then did our own homework.  We discovered that there are many risks involved with this project that are being downplayed by Navigator – risks to the health and even the life of people in the area should there be a sudden leak of the line or pump station and risks to long term productivity of farm ground should there be a fissure in the rock cap and CO2 escape and return to the surface over time. 

We began contacting members of the county board for the purpose of educating them on the dangers of the project.  We arranged to have a 20-minute presentation at the April meeting of the county board to convey this information.

It seems unfair to characterize the county board of “picking sides before all the information has been presented.”  Indeed, all the information has not been debated but there has been so much information presented that it is appropriate that board members would be reaching some opinions about how the county needs to proceed to protect residents. 

This project can’t really be described as “economic development.”  Navigator will offer some payoffs to the county and minimal damage payments to landowners but this is largely a project to line the pockets of big oil companies and financial investors with money from taxpayers and to cause the citizens of Christian County to bear all the risks in both the present and for the coming 100 – 200 years.   Heartland Greenway is a money grab for the oil industry and is masquerading as the “green” project.  It is anything but “green”.

Karen Brockelsby
Edinburg, IL  62531

STATION EDITORIAL

Posted April 26, 2022

This is a station editorial, I'm Randal J. Miller, station president.

This editorial is about what you and I have gone thru the past 2+ years as a result of the COVID pandemic:  Fatique and as a result, the anger and negativity it's caused.

We all are suffering from it, whether you think so or not.  Over 2 years of dealing with the greatest pandemic in our lifetime, has taken its toll on families, businesses, practically every entity you can think of.  Including County Boards.

Why do I mention County Boards?  Because the attitude a couple of them have displayed in recent weeks in our 2 clusters' listening areas, is giving the vibe that Christian and DeWitt Counties are not open for new economic development.

In Christian County, the issue of allowing a carbon sequistration pipeline thru the county, and 6 wells to be drilled between Taylorville and Stonington to pump and store the C-O-2 into, has board members picking sides before all information has been presented.

And in DeWitt County, County Board members basically changed the zoning ordinance not allowing an interested solar farm developer to apply for a permit.

Both are examples of giving potential developers and those wanting to invest in these counties, the impression that economic development isn't welcome in either county.

And, again because of the post-COVID atmosphere we're all in, and the fatique we've all experienced, it's manifesting itself as an attitude of not wanting to consider a project—or in the case of DeWitt County, keeping the solar ordinance as it was originally passed--before all the information is shared.  

We hope both County Boards will realize that decisions can't be made before all the information they need to make those decisions, is provided them.  COVID fatique can't turn into "anti-anything" fatique, because the future economic development in both counties, is at stake.

We're not supporting or being against any project.  We just hope Christian and DeWitt County Boards show they really do want economic development and growth, but their actions may be saying just the opposite. 

That's our opinion, we welcome yours.  Our e-mail address is editorial@randyradio.com.