Written by SARAH RAZA Associated Press
The massive carbon capture pipeline in the Midwest was thrown into uncertainty Tuesday after South Dakota’s Public Utility Commission denied its route permit application.
The commission voted 2-1 to deny the application by Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions, with Commissioner Kristie Fiegen saying it was “incomplete” and lacked “the form and content required.”
South Dakota lawmakers passed an eminent domain ban for carbon capture pipelines in March that makes Summit’s planned route difficult, commissioners agreed. Summit said it will refile its application with a reduced route in South Dakota to satisfy landowners and plant partners.
“While we are disappointed in today’s decision, we remain committed to South Dakota as without it the ethanol industry, farmers, and land values in the state will all suffer,” the company said in a statement.
South Dakota is a crucial part of the 2,500-mile pipeline, estimated to cost $8.9 billion. The pipeline would transport carbon emissions from ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to be stored underground permanently in North Dakota.
Summit had requested a timeline extension on its permit application to rework its route in a way that would satisfy landowners.
Questions about the pipeline arose after South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on eminent domain for carbon capture projects, in which the government can seize private property with compensation. Without that power, Summit would need to secure voluntary agreements with landowners along the South Dakota route.
Instead of pursuing legal action against the state, Summit said in its filing that additional time would allow it to “roll out new offers to landowners” and identify which branches to ethanol plants it can eliminate that face significant landowner opposition.
South Dakota is a crucial part of the 2,500-mile pipeline. The project already has approvals in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota, and Summit has invested more than $150 million into its route in South Dakota.
Summit’s pipeline promises to lower the carbon intensity of ethanol to make it more competitive as a sustainable product.