In an open letter to President Joe Biden, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Chuy Garcia (D-IL) called for the urgent issue of a federal moratorium on carbon pipelines.

As can be seen in the full letter here, Omar and Garcia are primarily concerned with the lack of unified safety regulations when it comes to the transport of carbon dioxide.

Although they acknowledge the efforts made so far by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to improve such regulations, the main concern is that no  federal permitting for CO2 pipelines goes through until the PHMSA safety regulations are finalized.

Relevant: Judge Rules Against Carbon Capture Moratorium In Livingston Parish

Signed also by Reps. Jamaal Bowman, André Carson, Raúl Grijalva, Jared Huffman, Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr., Barbara Lee, Summer Lee, Rashida Tlaib Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jerrold Nadler, Delia Ramirez, the letter follows a similar one addressed to President Biden earlier and signed by 150 organizations.

The letter is also endorsed by a number of activist and NGO groups, including Food and Water Watch, Sierra Club, Congressional Progressive Caucus Center, the Center for International Environmental Law, Climate Justice Alliance, and others.

The need for a moratorium on carbon pipelines is explained by the fact that existing pipeline regulations were designed to oversee the transport of hazardous hydrocarbon liquids such as crude oil and are not suitable for the transportation of CO2 as a gas or subcritical liquid.

“Communities across the country are opposing these carbon capture pipelines because they understand the risks they pose to their health and safety.  We applaud Representative Omar and Representative Garcia for leading this effort to stop dangerous pipelines from transporting carbon dioxide through communities. President Biden needs to use his authority to immediately enact a moratorium on permits for these dangerous projects,” said Jim Walsh, Policy Director at Food & Water Watch.

Read more: Navigator CO2 Moves To Suspend Carbon Pipeline Permit In Iowa