A company plans to inject millions of tons of carbon dioxide beneath the restored Montezuma Wetlands in Solano County, California, aiming to create the state's first large-scale carbon capture site. The proposal has divided supporters, who see it as essential for climate goals, from opponents worried about risks to a low-income community already burdened by industry. Approval for a test well could come within 12 to 18 months.
The Montezuma Wetlands, spanning 1,800 acres where the Sacramento River meets San Francisco Bay, have undergone significant restoration over the past two decades. Drained for farming in the late 19th century and later used for industrial waste, the area saw tidal waters return in 2020 after a century, revitalizing habitats for shorebirds and wildlife. This recovery effort, led in the early 2000s by University of California, Berkeley professor Jim Levine using dredged sediment from the Port of Oakland, marked a shift from exploitation to ecological renewal.
Now, Montezuma Carbon proposes piping CO2 from Bay Area refineries, hydrogen plants, and power plants through a 40-mile pipeline to store it in saline aquifers two miles underground. Scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley designed the project, which could store up to 8 million tons annually within three years and 100 million tons over 40 years. The site's compacted mud, silt, and clay would act as a natural seal, with facilities positioned away from restored areas and sensitive habitats.
The initiative stalled last spring due to Levine's declining health; he passed away in September 2023. Seismologist Jamie Rector, a Berkeley professor, has taken the lead, aiming to honor Levine's vision. Proponents highlight the site's geology, low population density—nearest town Rio Vista is 10 miles away—and advanced monitoring like acoustic and pressure sensors to detect leaks. They cite global precedents, including over 20 million tons safely stored at Norway's Sleipner project since 1996.
Critics, including local pediatrician Bonnie Hamilton, argue Solano County has long served as a "waste dump for the region’s polluters." With half a million diverse residents, including high numbers of veterans and people with disabilities, the area faces challenges in regulatory engagement. A recent $82 million penalty against the Valero refinery in Benicia for toxic emissions underscores industrial burdens. Opponents fear ecological disruption, safety risks like the 2020 Satartia, Mississippi pipeline rupture that hospitalized dozens, and induced seismicity near faults. They view carbon capture as expensive and unproven, potentially prolonging fossil fuel use rather than promoting cleaner alternatives.
Governor Gavin Newsom has stated there is "no path" to carbon neutrality without such technology, echoed by the California Air Resources Board as critical for 2045 goals. Legislation like SB 614 emphasizes its role in net-zero emissions, especially for hard-to-decarbonize sectors like cement, which produces 8% of global CO2. Yet, the $2 billion project lacks funding after a denied $340 million Department of Energy grant in 2023. Local officials, including Suisun City Mayor Alma Hernandez, are still reviewing it without a firm position.
Theo LeQuesne of the Center for Biological Diversity noted, "All of us want to believe the climate crisis could be solved without changing how society functions." The debate centers on balancing statewide ambitions with community consent and equitable burden-sharing in decarbonization efforts.
