More than two dozen people spoke up Monday during the Shelbyville Common Council meeting to oppose the annexation of approximately 97 acres of land adjacent to POET Biorefining.
Shakespeare Sequestration, LLC, intends to use the property for carbon capture storage over a 12-year period.
Working in conjunction with POET, who is currently expanding to double bioethanol production capabilities, carbon dioxide typically released into the atmosphere will be captured and compressed into a liquid that will be transferred via an 1,800-foot pipeline to the neighboring property where it would then be injected into a 4,000-foot well underground.
POET General Manager Jason Lucas and representatives of DTE Vantage, a Detroit-based Fortune 250 company that operates Shakespeare, delivered a presentation at Monday’s meeting to better explain the storage process.
The project started in 2024 with land testing in the area to see if carbon dioxide storage, which is heavily regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was feasible.
Seismic surveys and well testing studied the land below the surface down beyond 4,000 feet.
Following Monday’s presentation, a total of 19 people came to the podium to address concerns to the council.
The list of speakers included Michael Potter, who is a candidate for House District 47, which includes a portion of Shelby County that includes POET, and Allen Miller, who is running for State Representative for District 73 (Shelbyville).
Potter, who is a licensed professional geologist, encouraged the council to do more due diligence on the project before passing the annexation.
Miller also cited the need to see all the information regarding the project, including EPA files that have redactions.
Once the public hearing was closed, Lucas confirmed POET’s need for sequestration to maintain a competitive balance within the industry.
The current EPA permit process is less than 50% through technical review, according to Anthony Muzzin of DTE Vantage, meaning the project has yet to be approved.
The land annexation request was approved on first reading by the common council, 6-0-1. Councilman Chuck Reed abstained from voting.
The annexation request now moves to the Plan Commission, which meets Monday at City Hall. There will be a public hearing on the project.
The annexation then will be given a favorable or unfavorable recommendation and return to the common council in October for a final approval or denial.
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