Covington County; underground carbon dioxide prohibited; constitutional amendment

Elections

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Carnley
Last action: 2026-02-24
Official status: Pending Committee Action in Second House
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Covington County Carbon Dioxide Ban

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to ban the injection and storage of carbon dioxide in underground wells within Covington County, Alabama.

What This Bill Does

Proposes an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama that bans people from injecting or storing carbon dioxide in underground wells in Covington County.
Includes a prohibition on operating Class VI wells as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Underground Injection Control Program under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Requires an election for voters to decide whether to approve this constitutional amendment.

Who It Names or Affects

People and companies who want to inject or store carbon dioxide underground in Covington County.
Voters in Covington County will vote on whether to pass the proposed amendment.

Terms To Know

Class VI well: A type of well used for the injection and storage of carbon dioxide deep underground, regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if someone violates this ban after it is approved.
It is unclear how this amendment will affect existing or planned carbon dioxide storage projects in Covington County.

Bill History

2026-02-24 House
Re-referred to Committee in Second House
2026-02-19 Senate
Chambliss Local Certification Resolution - Adopted Roll Call 453 (Yeas 24, Nays 0)
2026-02-19 Senate
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 452 (Yeas 24, Nays 0)
2026-02-19 Senate
Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 23, Nays 0)
2026-02-19 House
Pending Committee Action in Second House
2026-02-19 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Local Legislation
2026-02-19 Senate
Reported out of Tourism and placed on the Calendar
2026-02-18 Senate
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-02-12 Senate
Re-referred to Committee in House of Origin
2026-02-12 Senate
Reported out of Committee of House of Origin
2026-02-12 Senate
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-02-10 Senate
Re-referred per Rule 50(b) to Committee in House of Origin
2026-02-10 Senate
Read for the Second Time
2026-02-10 Senate
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-02-05 Senate
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-02-05 Senate
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Local Legislation

Official Summary Text

Covington County; underground carbon dioxide prohibited; constitutional amendment

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB266 INTRODUCED
Page 0
SB266
3PM1BVV-1
By Senator Carnley (Constitutional Amendment)
RFD: Local Legislation
First Read: 05-Feb-26
1
2
3
4
5
3PM1BVV-1 02/04/2026 ZAK (L)ZAK 2026-710
Page 1
First Read: 05-Feb-26
SYNOPSIS:
This bill would propose an amendment to the
Constitution of Alabama of 2022, relating to Covington
County, to prohibit persons from injecting and storing
carbon dioxide in underground wells in the county.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to underground injection wells, to propose an
amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, relating to
Covington County, to prohibit the injection and storage of
carbon dioxide in underground wells in the county .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution
of Alabama of 2022, is proposed:
PROPOSED AMENDMENT
In Covington County, no person may inject, store, or
sequester carbon dioxide in underground wells. This
prohibition includes the operation of a Class VI well as
defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
pursuant to the Underground Injection Control Program of the
Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. § 300f et seq.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
SB266 INTRODUCED
Page 2
Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. § 300f et seq.
Upon ratification of this constitutional amendment, the
Code Commissioner shall number and place this amendment as
appropriate in the constitution omitting this instructional
paragraph and may make the following nonsubstantive revisions:
change capitalization, hierarchy, spelling, and punctuation
for purposes of style and uniformity; correct manifest
grammatical, clerical, and typographical errors; revise
internal or external citations and cross-references; harmonize
language; and translate effective dates.
END PROPOSED AMENDMENT
Section 2. An election upon the proposed amendment
shall be held in accordance with Sections 284, 284.01, and 285
of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, and the election laws
of this state. The appropriate election official shall assign
a ballot number for the proposed constitutional amendment on
the election ballot and shall set forth the following
description of the substance or subject matter of the proposed
constitutional amendment:
"Relating to Covington County, proposing an amendment
to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to prohibit the
injection and storage of carbon dioxide in underground wells
in the county.
Proposed by Act ____."
This description shall be followed by the following
language:
"Yes( ) No( )."
Section 3. The proposed amendment shall become valid as
part of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, when approved by
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
SB266 INTRODUCED
Page 3
part of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, when approved by
a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon.57