Midwest Carbon Pipeline Faces More Permitting Setbacks
Summit Carbon Solutions Faces Setbacks in North Dakota
Summit Carbon Solutions, an Iowa-based company, has hit a major snag in its plans to build injection wells in Oliver County, North Dakota. The advisory planning commission in the county has recommended a denial of the company’s conditional use permit applications for road access to the wells. The final decision rests with the full county board.
This negative recommendation comes after another blow for Summit: the state of North Dakota rejected a permit application for a 320-mile pipeline that would transport captured carbon dioxide (CO2) from ethanol plants to an underground storage site in Oliver County.
Summit’s ambitious project involves building a 2,000-mile network of pipelines across five states: Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. However, the company needs easements from landowners for the entire length of the project.
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The permitting denials in North Dakota have raised concerns among landowners in neighboring states. Without North Dakota’s participation, opponents argue that the project becomes a “pipeline to nowhere.”
In Iowa, landowners have been attending Iowa Utility Board hearings to voice their opposition to Summit’s project. These hearings will determine whether Summit receives a project permit in Iowa and the right to use eminent domain to acquire land easements from unwilling private landowners.
Opponents argue that granting eminent domain to a private company for a project that primarily benefits that company, rather than the public, is unjust. However, Summit contends that underground CO2 sequestration reduces greenhouse gas emissions and benefits the environment as a whole.
“The Iowa Utilities Board needs to stop wasting everyone’s time and halt Summit’s hearing in Iowa now,” said Jessica Mazour of the Sierra Club in Iowa. “Summit Carbon is clearly not a viable project here in Iowa or anywhere along the route. It’s time for Summit to pack its bags. We don’t want their pipeline to nowhere.”
Company Remains Confident
Despite the setbacks, Summit is determined to proceed with its plans. A spokesperson for the company assured The Epoch Times that they will not walk away from the project. In response to North Dakota’s permit denial, Summit has filed a Petition for Reconsideration.
The petition includes changes to the North Dakota section of the project, such as rerouting the pipeline around Bismarck to address safety concerns. Summit has also applied for a conditional-use permit to drill an injection well in Oliver County, but the permit has been recommended for denial until safety concerns are addressed.
Summit previously obtained approval for three similar well sites in Oliver County in 2022, and they are confident that the County Commission will consider the planning and zoning recommendation and ultimately approve the conditional use permits.
Even if the wells in Oliver County are not permitted in time, Summit has a backup plan. The company has an agreement with Minnkota Power to use its CO2 storage well, which was permitted by the North Dakota Industrial Commission in 2022. This well is expected to permanently store CO2 about a mile underground near Center, North Dakota.
The Importance of Carbon Capture
When it comes to carbon capture, the financial burden often falls on taxpayers who provide incentives to companies. However, the potential benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the environment for all cannot be ignored.
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