The Henry County Board turned its attention to carbon sequestration and data centers during its meeting Thursday at the Cambridge Courthouse.
Board member Jill Darin, who serves on the planning and development committee, presented two action items: a moratorium on carbon dioxide sequestration projects and a separate moratorium on data centers within the county.
The sequestration discussion follows public concern in Galva after residents learned of a proposal by Lapis Carbon Solutions, in partnership with Big River Resources, to inject carbon dioxide beneath the community into the Mount Simon Sandstone formation. Earlier this year, the companies filed a Class VI application for the project with the U.S. EPA.
The project has drawn pushback from residents who cite safety, environmental and economic risks.
At a recent Galva City Council meeting—held in the high school gym to accommodate a large crowd—Mat Schnepple, director of the Henry County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), told attendees he would recommend a carbon sequestration moratorium to the county board.
During Thursday’s county board meeting, Galva resident Dustin Williams spoke during public comment. Williams, who has been an outspoken opponent, told board members that while the Lapis/Big River project is being promoted as progress, “before we can call it progress, we need to understand what it is.”
Williams briefly outlined the sequestration process and urged the board to consider long‑term impacts. “Our children will inherit the consequences of our decisions,” he said.
The board voted 17–0 in favor of the12-month sequestration moratorium, with one member abstaining.
The vote does not halt the project outright. Schnepple told the board that OEM is encouraging the companies to continue gathering the data the county has requested.
“Go forth and prosper,” Schnepple said. “Do whatever needs to be done.”
The OEM, he said, will continue developing safety protocols and will monitor and evaluate the information it receives.
The board also voted 17–1 to approve a 12‑month moratorium on data centers in Henry County.
Although no companies have approached the county with proposals, Darin said the pause will give officials time to study potential environmental impacts and draft an ordinance.
“It’s a temporary moratorium that gives us time to put our ordinance together,” she said. “We’re trying to be proactive here.”
On July 1, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker ordered the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to stop processing new applications for the state’s data center tax incentive program. The pause includes the 20% construction employment tax credit for projects in underserved areas. Incentives already approved before July 1 remain valid.
The governor has expressed concern about rising energy demand and affordability for residents as data center development expands across the state.
