Pierre, SD — Summit Carbon Solutions has submitted a second application in South Dakota for construction of a carbon pipeline.
Last year, South Dakota’s Public Utilities Commission rejected Summit’s initial application. Officials said it did not comply with county zoning rules. Earlier this month, South Dakota voters upheld those restrictions. According to a news release from Summit Carbon Solutions, the company has made major changes in its South Dakota pipeline route after more than a year of one-on-one work with landowners. Iowa and North Dakota regulators have approved permits for the project. It would ship carbon from 57 ethanol plants in five states to underground storage in North Dakota.
Summit’s CEO says the project represents a pathway to new markets and lasting economic growth for generations to come. Nine IOWA counties passed zoning ordinances for carbon pipelines and tomorrow (Wednesday), judges on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in Omaha will hear arguments over ordinances in Shelby and Story Counties that Summit sued to overturn. Summit has pending lawsuits against Emmet, Kossuth, and Palo Alto Counties and recently sued Bremer County over its zoning ordinance.
Meanwhile, Summit Carbon Solutions is moving ahead with expansion of their proposed carbon capture pipeline in Iowa. The company is filing with the Iowa Utilities Commission for permits to add 13 more ethanol plants. The initial 690-miles of pipeline has been approved by the Commission. The expansion would cover most of Navigator CO2’s planned pipeline route that was abandoned earlier this year.
Summit needs approval in North and South Dakota before it can build in Iowa. North Dakota regulators okayed a permit last week, but South Dakota regulators rejected Summit’s permit application last year. A state law weakening county ordinances against the pipeline was nullified by voters in a referendum earlier this month. A lawsuit to decide Summit’s eligibility for eminent domain is before South Dakota’s Supreme Court.
(Part of this story is courtesy fellow Community First Broadcasting station KUOO in Spirit Lake)
