Washington, DC — Today, nearly 70 public interest, environmental justice, Indigenous, landowner and community groups sent a letter to Commerce Committee leaders urging the Senate to adopt strong, enforceable protections against carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines. No federal safety guidelines exist for CO2 pipelines, despite grave risks. The letter, facilitated by the national environmental organization Food & Water Watch, comes in advance of a key hearing on pipeline safety scheduled for Thursday.

The letter reads, in part: “CO2 pipelines present unique and serious hazards that existing federal laws and regulations fail to address. As Congress considers reauthorization of PHMSA’s programs, we urge you to adopt strong standards that prioritize public safety, landowner rights, and environmental integrity. Federal policy must keep pace with this expanding industry and the risks it brings.”

The letter highlights urgent need for regulations on: general pipeline safety; community emergency response and preparedness; pipeline construction standards, monitoring, and leak detection; and landowner rights and financial protections. These groups also warned House Energy & Commerce Committee leaders earlier this week against fast tracking CO2 pipelines as part of a reconciliation package.

“Communities across the country are already being put into harm’s way by dangerous carbon pipelines, operating under outdated and inadequate safety rules. Opposition to these pipelines is growing because people see the risks firsthand and know that authorities are falling short of obligations to protect communities,” said Jim Walsh, Food & Water Watch Policy Director.  “Congress must act now to close these glaring safety gaps and ensure that public health and safety come before pipeline company profits. Fast tracking these projects without the proper safety channels could have irreparable harm on people’s lives. Congress must enact robust carbon pipeline safety rules now.”

Thanks to billions of dollars in publicly funded carbon capture incentives, corporations have proposed thousands of miles of new pipelines, threatening communities and property owners nationwide. Food & Water Watch research illustrates the myriad of risks and dangers posed by carbon capture and storage, even with updated safety standards. A 2020 CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi evacuated a town and sent 49 people to the hospital.

“CO2 pipelines threaten lands, waters, and lives, and once again, it’s Indigenous communities and overburdened regions who bear the brunt. Without firm safeguards and full recognition of our right to reject projects that desecrate sacred places, these proposals compound centuries of harm. Congress must ensure pipeline companies are held legally and financially accountable for long-term safety and the human rights they jeopardize. The choices lawmakers make now will either prevent the next disaster or allow it,” said Brenda Jo (BJ) McManama, of the Indigenous Environmental Network.

The world’s largest CO2 pipeline has been proposed for construction in the Midwest, inspiring robust local and regional opposition.

“In January of 2025, PHMSA released their new CO2 Pipeline Safety Rules, a recognition that CO2 pipeline safety rules are outdated and inappropriate in their current form. Unfortunately, these rules were sidelined by the current administration,” said Peg Furshong, Natural and Working Lands Organizer with CURE, based in Minnesota, where CO2 pipelines have been proposed. “We need Congress to move forward with strong pipeline safety rules to protect frontline rural communities to reduce potential harms and help mitigate risk.”

“When Illinois implemented its CO2 pipeline moratorium last summer, we anticipated new safety rules from PHMSA would be in place soon. Unfortunately, this has not occurred, and the moratorium is set to expire in a year,” said Pam Richart of Illinois-based Eco-Justice Collaborative and the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines. “We urge Congress to promptly establish robust CO2 pipeline safety regulations. This is essential to mitigate risks to communities posed by corporations planning to seek CO2 pipeline project approvals from the Illinois Commerce Commission once our state’s moratorium ends.”