Some people in Innisfail, Alta., angry over planned new CO2 removal facility

It's the first time in recent memory the Town of Innisfail, Alta., had to cut its bi-monthly council meeting short because angry people disrupted proceedings.

Mayor Jean Barclay says about 30 people were in attendance to ask questions about the Deep Sky Labs CO2 removal facility to be built in the town's industrial area.

"I think there were people that had legitimate questions," she said.

"But I think there was also an element that wasn't necessarily looking for answers and, you know, the minute you mentioned CO2, at times, that's like a lightning rod for some people."

Barclay says she moved the open-mic session of the meeting so people in the gallery didn't have to wait through all the other agenda items.

She says council typically sees one or two people attending but in this case, there were more than two dozen who wanted to be heard.

Shellie Hannah was one of the people who wanted more information about the project.

She lives in Innisfail and says council members didn't have a lot of answers.

"They couldn't answer what it is or exactly how it works," she said.

"There was no documentation regarding safety studies or environmental studies done to see if it would be good for the town."

Hannah was concerned taking CO2 out of the environment could hurt the community.

"Well, I read only from Deep Sky Labs off their site that they're taking CO2 out of the air," she said.

"Which we need for photosynthesis. It makes plants green. Humans need it. It's important. Why are they taking it out of the air? It's very clean here."

Deep Sky Labs is moving into the town's industrial area and building what it says is the world's first carbon removal innovation and commercialization centre.

Phil de Luna, chief carbon scientist and head of engineering, agrees CO2 is important.

"It's true, carbon dioxide is needed for plants," he said.

"But the reality is the amount of carbon dioxide that is entering our atmosphere is causing increased temperature rise. This increased temperature rise is leading to a lot of economic and societal difficulties and problems.

"We need to remove the carbon dioxide that has been going to the atmosphere."

Barclay says she's been given an example of taking hundreds of cars off the QEII.

"Ultimately, what they are doing is removing 3,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, which is the equivalent of about 680 vehicles per year, and then testing these various technologies and benchmarking those technologies," she said.

"I think if we walked up to most people and said, you know, we're going to take 700 vehicles off the highway next year, their reaction wouldn't be what we saw yesterday."

Deep Sky Labs says the CO2 it's removing is produced by vehicles and industry, and nature can't process it fast enough.

"What I would say to people is I don't think there's ever a risk of making something too clean," he said.

"By taking the CO2 out of the air, all we're doing is making the air cleaner, healthier and better for the environment and the people that live in Alberta and Innisfail."

You can learn more about the project here.

Later Tuesday, Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz released a statement:

"It's natural for communities to have questions about any new facility, and I'm glad that Innisfail is meeting with residents to discuss this project as municipal zoning is within the town's responsibility," Schulz said.

"Direct air capture technologies are new, and still emerging, but are being developed in many provinces across Canada, as well as the United States and Europe.

"I want to stress that no CO2 will ever be sequestered underground without rigorous reviews and approvals to make sure it is safe.

"My understanding is that the CO2 collected at Deep Sky Labs would be sequestered far away from this community, at the Meadowbrook Carbon Storage Hub in Sturgeon County.

"This storage hub is currently going through the AER review process and will need to pass necessary standards for safety before it is approved."