Sep 13, 2024

Some South Dakota lawmakers upset after Noem awards millions to project they refused to pay for

A rendering of a proposed state shooting range in Meade County. The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks is leading development of the project. (Courtesy of GF&P)

We've been publishing news of project funded by the South Dakota  Future Fund, which is controlled by Governor Noem. It hasn't been pretty. 

Now the South Searchlight has caught another wrinkle in the use of the fund, one that's making South Dakota lawmakers on both side of the partisan divide unhappy.

Some lawmakers upset after Noem awards millions to project they refused to pay for
by Joshua Haiar

Governor using money from state’s Future Fund to help build shooting range

While legislators were passing a law in March requiring more information from Republican Gov. Kristi Noem about a fund she controls, Noem was awarding $13.5 million from the fund to a project legislators had declined to financially support.

Some legislators didn’t find out about the spending until this week, when South Dakota Searchlight learned about it and told them.

The money will go toward the construction of a $20 million, state-owned shooting range in a rural area north of Rapid City. The Department of Game, Fish and Parks is also counting on private fundraising to help the project.

Game, Fish and Parks spokesman Nick Harrington said in a statement that the shooting range will “attract new visitors to the state and increase opportunities for firearms-related industries to expand in South Dakota.”

The $13.5 million awarded by Noem is from the Future Fund, which is supported by a tax on employers and spent at the discretion of the governor.

Legislators have denied requests to fund the shooting range with money from the state budget. State Sen. Reynold Nesiba, D-Sioux Falls, said Noem’s decision “demonstrates the need for greater transparency and legislative oversight of the Future Fund.” He called the shooting range a “pet project” for Noem that “excites few outside her political base.”

“The Legislature has rejected this gun range project multiple times,” Nesiba said. “She is using the Future Fund to circumvent the will of the Legislature.” 

Bipartisan reaction

The frustration with the governor cuts across the political aisle.  

“We already killed the shooting range legislation, because they never presented a business plan. Still haven’t,” said Sen. Ryan Maher, R-Isabel. “How many people are going to run this thing? Clean the bathrooms? Pick up trash? Shell casings? They still have not answered any of that.”

Maher sponsored a bill that was adopted during last winter’s legislative session requiring the Governor’s Office to report twice per year to legislators about Future Fund spending. Noem signed that bill on March 14 — the same month, according to her Governor’s Office of Economic Development, that she authorized $13.5 million from the Future Fund for the shooting range. 

Lawmakers contacted this week by South Dakota Searchlight said they have not yet received a Future Fund report as required by the new law.

Maher’s bill arose after Noem faced criticism for other uses of the fund, including $7.5 million she awarded for a workforce recruitment campaign starring herself and $2.5 million for the Governor’s Cup rodeo in Sioux Falls. 

The fund is supported by a tax, described by the state as an “investment fee,” that’s collected from employers in conjunction with payroll taxes for unemployment benefits. In 2023, nearly 30,000 South Dakota employers paid $23 million into the Future Fund. 

The late Gov. George Mickelson convinced lawmakers to create the Future Fund in 1987. State law says the fund must be used “for purposes related to research and economic development for the state.” The fund is held by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, but unlike other funds managed by the office, the Future Fund is not overseen by a board of citizen appointees.

A controversial range

The shooting range is being built on about 400 acres, roughly 15 miles north of Rapid City and 25 miles southeast of Sturgis. It’s expected to open in the fall of 2025 and will include areas for long-range shooting, clay target shooting and tactical training. State officials say it will host national shooting competitions.

The Department of Game, Fish and Parks initially said in 2021 that the project would cost about $9.9 million. That grew to $12 million in 2022. Then the state paused the project when calls for bids attracted only one. The project price tag had ballooned to about $20 million by the time the state broke ground in December 2023. 

The department said it had received $5.1 million in pledges and donations toward the project as of April.

Some lawmakers opposing previous attempts to fund the range argued state funds should be prioritized for more pressing infrastructure needs. They also said the project should fund itself with private donations, and scale down as needed.

“Why would the state want to compete with privately owned, taxpaying enterprises?” then-Rep. Dean Wink, R-Howes, now a state senator, asked his fellow lawmakers during a House floor debate in 2022. He argued shooting sports opportunities already exist in the area, but programs to address some other public needs do not.

Some landowners near the project, including Matt Kammerer, say it’s unnecessary and will burden local governments with extra infrastructure and public safety costs. 

“There are shooting ranges all around here already,” he said. “Nobody needs this.”  

Shooting sports enthusiast and Second Amendment advocate King Cavalier, of Sturgis, said providing a public place to exercise gun rights is important to ensuring U.S. democracy continues. Shooting events will result in a sales tax boom, he added, making the complex a smart investment for the state.

This South Dakota Searchlight article is republished Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Photo:  A rendering of a proposed state shooting range in Meade County. The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks is leading development of the project. (Courtesy of GF&P).

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Posted by on Sep 13, 2024 at 05:28 PM | | Comments (0)

Sep 12, 2024

Universal school lunches: Draz has a cameo appearance on John Oliver's Last Week Tonight

September 8, 2024: School Lunch Programs

During the March 2023 Minnesota state senate floor debate on the bill to provide free school lunches to all public school children, Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, famously said he'd never met a hungry person in Minnesota: 

That wit and wisdom earned him national attention, garnering him headlines like Vanity Fair's Uniquely Evil Minnesota Republican Steve Drazkowski Votes Against Free School Lunches Because “Hunger Is a Relative Term."

The comments are proving to have a remarkable shelf life.

On Sunday's Last Week Tonight With John Oliver on HBO, Draz enjoyed a cameo appearance on September 8, 2024: School Lunch Programs.

For those of us ho don't have an HBO subscription, the episode is now available on YouTube, as the show's X account posted on Thursday:

Here's that YouTube:

Old Draz schtick never dies. Enjot

Image: From HBO's episode listing.

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Posted by on Sep 12, 2024 at 11:11 AM | | Comments (0)

Sep 11, 2024

[VIDEO] In Granite Falls, MN SOS Simon shares quest for Election Day high turnout, low drama

Steveanderic

Last week, Bluestem posted Meet MN Secretary of State Steve Simon at Granite Falls' Bluenose Gopher Public House 9/6. My beau and I did just that, traveling down the lovely Upper Minnesota River Valley roads to the Bluenose Gopher Public House, where grassroots environmental and civic action group CURE.

It was worth the drive.

At the Marshall Independent, Deb Gau reported on Tuesday in Simon hoping for ‘high turnout and low drama’ on Election Day:

 Election Day is only two months away, and it’s “crunch time” for the office that oversees Minnesota’s elections, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said.

At a visit to Granite Falls on Friday, Simon said he was hoping for good voter turnouts, and a smooth process at the election.

“That’s what I want, is high turnout and low drama,” Simon said.

Feelings around this year’s elections, especially the presidential election, will likely be intense, he said.

“Especially a presidential election, it’s always going to be intense,” Simon said. “It’s going to be especially intense when, like this year, people have very strong opinions about the candidates.”

Another thing adding to the intensity was that the presidential election was perceived as being a close race, he said. But he hoped that, in spite of that intensity, there would be no political violence or threats of violence.

“If any American has a problem with the certification of the election, or suspects or knows or think they know there was misconduct or illegal stuff going on, that’s fine. Bring your evidence, bring your witnesses, do your testimony, go to court. That’s where we resolve that stuff,” Simon said.

“But when the last court has issued the last ruling, we have to be done … And after that point, all of us as Americans have to get our arms around and accept the results, even if it didn’t go the way we want,” he said.

Simon was visiting Granite Falls as part of a statewide tour. He took questions from members of the public, and spoke about what his office does during Minnesota elections. . . .

Read the entire article at the Independent. Bluestem will post a video of the event here when it becomes available

Earlier on Friday, Simon sat down with a CURE staff for the interview embedded below. From the YouTube description:

Erik Hatlestad (Director of Cooperative Energy, CURE) sits down with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon to discuss the 2024 election and rural democracy. Topics include the many ways Minnesotans can participate in elections, what resources are available to Minnesotans to access elections, and how to combat disinformation about election process and outcomes.

Visit CURE's Facebook page post embedded below for more about the event.

 

Photo: Erik Hatlestad, CURE's Director of Cooperative Energy, introduces Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon to the crowd of 50 people Friday afternoon at Granite Falls' cooperative Bluenose Gopher Public House.

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Posted by on Sep 11, 2024 at 06:01 PM | | Comments (0)

[VIDEO] Watch MNHouse 24B seat candidates Rep. Tina Liebling and Dan Sepeda debate

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While the presidential debate has naturally captured voters' attention, forums between House candidates are starting up in Minnesota.

Witness the contests in the Rochester area. At the Post Bulletin, Brian Todd reports in Liebling, Sepeda clash over issues in first general election candidate forum:

The League of Women Voters Rochester will host candidate forums for all races ranging from school board to state representatives that will be on the ballots of Rochester area voters. Candidate forums are held at the Rochester Public Library auditorium, with livestreams and recordings available at the Rochester Public Library's YouTube channel and the LWV Rochester website . The complete list of candidate forums is below:

    • Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m. Minnesota Representative District 25A: Kim Hicks and Ken Navitsky.
    • Thursday, Sept. 12, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m. Minnesota Representative District 25B: Wes Lund and Andy Smith.
    • Monday, Sept. 16, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m. Minnesota Representative District 20B: Michael Hutchinson and Steve Jacob. . . .
    • Monday, Sept. 23, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m. Minnesota Representative District 24A: Heather Holmes and Duane Quam.

I'm especially looking forward to Thursday's debate between incumbent Andy Smith and gadfly Wes Lund, those Facebook page is now awash with Ohio pet reels and memes.

But I digress. One highlights from Todd's Liebling, Sepeda clash over issues in first general election candidate forum:

. . . When asked about the state's response to the EPA mandating action by the state to protect groundwater in the karst region, Liebling said polluters, which she said was mainly farmers, should pay for the cleanup. She said a tax on fertilizer was being considered and she hoped that could be worked out in the future.

Sepeda said government regulations often got in the way of growth and freedom. He said there are several sources that contribute to high nitrates in groundwater. . .. 

Read the entire article at the Post Bulletin. (A subscription to the Bulletin allows readers to access all Forum newspapers across the region. Quite the bargain for those hoping to keep up with North Dakota, South Dakota and greater Minnesota news).

Here's the YouTube of the debate:

Bluestem will be on the lookout for more greater Minnesota House race forums in the news.

Photo: Tina Liebling and Dan Sepeda during Tuesday's League of Women Voters forum at the Rochester Public Library. Maya Giron / Post Bulletin.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. 

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Posted by on Sep 11, 2024 at 11:54 AM | | Comments (0)

Sep 10, 2024

Iowa Republican Legislative Intervenors for Justice to file lawsuits against Summit ethanol carbon pipeline decision

Just this morning, Bluestem Prairie republished an article from the North Dakota Monitor, North Dakota Public Service Commission staff outlines legal option for landowners in Summit ethanol carbon pipeline fight.

This afternoon, its States Newsroom sibling, the Iowa Capital Dispatch, published the article below.

Seems like Summit Carbon Solution's ethanol carbon pipeline project just can't get any respect these days.

Iowa Republicans to file lawsuits against Summit pipeline decision
by Cami Koons

A group of Iowa Republican lawmakers plans to ask federal and state courts to rule that the Iowa Utilities Commission acted illegally and unconstitutionally in its approval of a controversial pipeline project. 

The group of nearly 40 Iowa lawmakers comprising the Republican Legislative Intervenors for Justice announced their plan to sue in a news release Tuesday. 

The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, “prioritizes corporate interests in tax credits over the safety, property rights, and well-being of Iowa’s citizens,” according to a statement from the group.

The $8 billion carbon-capture pipeline project would connect to 57 ethanol plants and stretch across most of Iowa and into Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.

The Iowa Utilities Commission approved the application in June, under the conditions that Summit Carbon Solutions submitted documentation of various regulating requirements, and a hefty insurance policy. 

The Iowa-based company met these requirements and was issued a construction permit by the commission at the end of August. However, Iowa construction cannot begin until the project is approved in the Dakotas, where it has also faced pushback from landowners and lawmakers.

In addition to the impending legal filings, the opposing group of legislators met to strategize upcoming legislative approaches, like eminent domain reform and adjusting the functions of the Iowa Utilities Commission, to stop the pipeline. 

The Iowa House has approved limits on eminent domain for carbon pipelines in recent years but the Senate has not acted.

“We are determined to fight this reckless decision in the courts and in the General Assembly,” Rep. Charley Thomson said in the press release. “This isn’t just about stopping one pipeline. It’s about safeguarding our communities, our land, and our constitutional rights from future overreach.”

This Iowa Capital Dispatch article is republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
 
Photo:
 

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Posted by on Sep 10, 2024 at 06:14 PM | | Comments (0)

Southern MN GOP House candidate Erica Schwartz apologizes after implying Democrats are leading US towards another Holocaust

Another good catch in Minnesota House election coverage by the Minnesota Reformer. One would think a candidate might stick to criticizing her opponent's record, but Bluestem suspects attacking Jeff Brand's efforts against PFAS and such might not play too well.

GOP House candidate apologizes after implying Democrats are leading US towards another Holocaust
by Madison Mcvan

At a Republican fundraiser in Mankato, the candidate for Minnesota House District 18A, Erica Schwartz, gave a speech promising to promote tough-on-crime policies and advocate for lower taxes.

In a side conversation after the speech, Schwartz said Democrats are leading the U.S. towards another Holocaust, according to audio obtained by the Reformer.

Schwartz is running against DFL Rep. Jeff Brand to represent the swing district that includes north Mankato, Saint Peter and nearby townships.

Schwartz, in conversation with unidentified individuals, said she was interested in WWII history and took her daughter to visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

“It was heartbreaking to see, but it’s also very much part of our ugly history that we have to remember to never do that again,” Schwartz said of the Holocaust. “And I just feel like we’re heading right back to all of that with what’s going on with the DFL, and what’s been going on with our country, with it being all Democratic from our president, all the way from our governor to our representatives in the state House.”

Schwartz continued: “They’re promoting all this transgender. You know, when I walk into my baby’s school, my kid’s school, I see that pride flag everywhere. Posters everywhere, hallways… but they took away the American flag.”

In a statement provided to the Reformer, Schwartz said she regrets the comments.  

“As a brand new candidate, I made an inartful comment trying to highlight some of the reasons I ran for office: my deep concern about the one-party control in Minnesota, and the increasingly hostile political environment where free speech is under attack and Americans are divided against each other. I regret making that comparison and will be better in the future about being more precise with my words,” Schwartz said.

Ethan Roberts, deputy director of Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota, said this isn’t the first time candidates or elected officials have made “wildly inappropriate” comparisons to the Holocaust. 

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, some Republicans likened public health measures — including mask mandates and school and business closures — to Nazi-era Germany. The 2022 Republican candidate for governor, Scott Jensen, implied that groups that resist government public health policies would help prevent a repeat of Nazism.

Schwartz’s comments come at a sensitive time for Jewish Americans, as reports of antisemitism on college campuses have risen in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians and Israel’s ensuing bombardment of Gaza. 

“Whatever it is that you’re upset about, whatever it is that you think that our country is wrestling with, it’s not the Holocaust,” Roberts said.

This Minnesota Reformer article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Photo: Erica Schwartz. Campaign photo, via Minnesota Reformer.

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Posted by on Sep 10, 2024 at 03:19 PM | | Comments (0)

North Dakota Public Service Commission staff outlines legal option for landowners in Summit ethanol carbon pipeline fight

Yet another story chronicling the struggle over ethanol carbon pipelines in the upper Midwest.

At the North Dakota Monitor, Jeff Beach reports an option is available for landowners who feel they were tricked or bullied into signing easement agreements with Summit Carbon Solutions for ethanol carbon pipelines. 

PSC staff outlines legal option for landowners in Summit pipeline fight
by Jeff Beach

North Dakota landowners who feel they were tricked or bullied into signing an easement agreement with Summit Carbon Solutions can appeal to the courts, according to staff for the Public Service Commission.

During a PSC work session Monday on the Summit siting permit, staff discussed the law that says if five or more landowners feel wronged by the negotiating tactics, they can file a complaint in district court. 

If the court sides with the landowners, the easement agreements can be thrown out.

During public hearings on Summit’s carbon capture pipeline project, landowners have complained that Summit agents threatened them with court action if they did not voluntarily sign an easement agreement giving Summit the right to put a pipeline through private property. 

They also have cited poor communication and sometimes communicating with the wrong family member on easement negotiations. 

According to Century Code 49-22.1-14, “If at least five landowners aggrieved by the conduct of a person or persons acting on behalf of the same utility, acquiring easements for a site a relevant facility, alleged use of harassment, misrepresentation, deception, fraud, or other unfair tactics by the person and persons acquiring or attempting to acquire easement and action may be brought to the appropriate District Court.” 

“It covers, it seems like, just about everything we’ve been hearing about all along that is supposedly happening,” PSC Chair Randy Christmann said of landowner complaints about Summit. “There’s a process for it.” 

The law adds that if the court rules in favor of the landowners, the PSC may revoke or suspend the route permit affecting the landowners who proved that they were wronged. 

Victor Shock, director of public utilities for the commission, noted that the commission doesn’t have jurisdiction over easement negotiations. “But that is something that the court could do,” Shock said. 

PSC attorney Zack Pelham said the law has been in place since 2017. He said he was unsure if there had been previous versions of the statute. 

Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions has been pursuing a pipeline route permit in North Dakota since 2022. It seeks to capture carbon emissions from ethanol plants in five states and use the pipeline to bring carbon dioxide to North Dakota for underground storage.  

But Summit has faced opposition and legal action from some landowners.

The PSC in 2023 denied Summit a route permit but allowed the company to revise its application and go through a second round of public hearings. 

Monday’s work session was a chance for the three-person commission to discuss the law covering negotiation tactics and other legal matters related to the pipeline as the PSC weighs a decision on the permit. 

The commission directed its staff to ask for more detailed information on Summit’s insurance policies. 

Another PSC work session on the pipeline was tentatively set for 9:30 a.m. Sept. 16, in the Brynhild Haugland Room at the Capitol. Christmann said in an interview last week he anticipates multiple work sessions on the project before the PSC will be prepared to vote on the permit.

This North Dakota Monitor article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Photo: Members of the public review maps on display April 22, 2024, that show the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline route ahead of a Public Service Commission meeting in Mandan. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor).

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Posted by on Sep 10, 2024 at 09:46 AM | | Comments (0)

Sep 09, 2024

MNHouse GOP swing seat candidate in April: "a whole lot of pro-abortion people need to go die or leave the state" for pro-life amendment to win

Just in this morning at the Minnesota Reformer: a look behind the scenes in a swing seat that will help determine control of the Minnesota House, on an issue that matters to Minnesota voters.

Consider a donation to the Reformer to help pay for its valuable journalism.  

Swing seat GOP candidate would support Constitutional abortion ban ‘in a heartbeat’
by Christopher Ingraham

35B candidate Steve Pape has called himself a social moderate’

The Republican candidate for the open House seat in district 35B told supporters at a campaign kickoff event in April that he would support an amendment to the state Constitution to restrict abortion, according to event audio obtained by the Reformer.

“I would get behind that in a heartbeat if it had any chance at all to win,” Steve Pape, an engineer and Vietnam veteran from Coon Rapids, told an event attendee who asked about it.

Pape identifies as a “social moderate” and studiously avoids any mention of abortion on his campaign website. He also hasn’t spoken about the topic in interviews with conservative or mainstream news organizations, a tacit acknowledgement that the issue could be fraught in one of the state’s most narrowly divided districts. In 2022, outgoing DFL Rep. Jerry Newton won it by just 232 votes. 

But in April, Pape said that he is “strongly, 100% pro-life,” and that abortion is an issue that motivated him to run because it feels like “one knife cut of a thousand to kill America.”

The contrast between the event remarks and his public silence on the issue underscore the degree to which Republicans are now playing defense following the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision that led to abortion bans around the country. 

A majority of Americans oppose the Dobbs ruling, and Republican standard bearer Donald Trump has recently made conflicting comments about his abortion views.

The Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed the right to an abortion in a 1995 ruling, which the Legislature then codified with strong statutory abortion rights language in 2023. 

Pape noted that any significant restrictions would likely require a state Constitutional amendment.

“We would have to surmount that problem,” Pape said. “Not saying it’s not possible, but I’m saying that a whole lot of pro-abortion people need to go die or leave the state.”

Surveys show about two-thirds of Minnesotans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

“I want nothing more than to go back where we were 20 years ago,” Pape said, “but it’s not an easy path.”

Given the difficulties of changing the Constitution, Pape said a more incremental approach might yield more favorable results for anti-abortion Minnesotans: “It’s gonna take literally decades to chip away at it until we get back.”

If a referendum isn’t possible, “What’s the next best thing we can do? How can we inch ourselves closer to the goal?” he asked. “We literally need the process going, where we start pushing it back, and you have to push it back one brushfire at a time.”

Pape speculated that an abortion ban after 21 weeks gestational age might have the best chance of passing. “What if we just said we’re gonna change the law so instead of getting an abortion right up until the day the baby is born, we said you can only have an abortion up to the 21st week, which is about halfway, and nothing beyond that?”

Abortions after the 28th week of pregnancy are vanishingly rare, and when they do happen are typically the result of tragic medical complications. Abortions “moments before birth” do not occur; so-called partial-birth abortions have been illegal in the United States for more than 15 years.  

In Minnesota, the overwhelming majority of abortions happen in the first trimester, according to state data. In 2022, the most recent year with complete data, just one abortion occurred in the third trimester, at the 32nd week.

Reached for comment, Pape claimed that the remarks were “misinformation,” that they were taken “totally out of context,” and that they do not express his views. He went on to repeat the falsehood about “pulling a baby from the mother’s womb the day before it’s born,” and accused a Reformer reporter of supporting infanticide.

After being sent audio of the remarks, Pape did not deny that he made them but said, “I do not recall making the comments voiced on the recording.” He added that “as a legislator I will work to support mothers and support life.”

The DFL candidate in the race, Coon Rapids City Council Member Kari Rehrauer, said, “My opponent wants to drag us back 50 years, not just 20. I will never stop fighting to ensure women maintain their rights in Minnesota.”

In Minnesota, 2022 gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen said his campaign promise to ban nearly all abortions cost him that race. Democrats have sought to put the issue at the top of voters’ minds in 2024.

This Minnesota Reformer article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 

Photo: The Minnesota Capitol Building. Courtesy of Minnesota House Public Information Services.

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Posted by on Sep 09, 2024 at 11:46 AM | | Comments (0)

Livestreaming today at 1:30, ND regulators to hold work session to discuss Summit pipeline

In North Dakota today, North Dakota Public Service Commission will host a work session in Pioneer Room of the Capitol that will be livestreamed and open to the public although the Commission won't be taking public comments.

Yet another wrinkle to the multi-state saga of the sprawling spider of ethanol carbon pipelines that Summit Carbon Solutions hopes to build in its pursuit of those federal tax credits for capturing some carbon produced by the ethanol industry.  As was noted here on Sunday, Summit Carbon Solutions pipelines won’t capture all carbon emitted by ethanol plants.

A staff report republished from the North Dakota Monitor.

North Dakota regulators set work session to discuss Summit pipeline

The North Dakota Public Service Commission has scheduled a work session for 1:30 p.m. Monday to discuss the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline.

The session in the Pioneer Room of the Capitol is open to the public but will not include an opportunity for public comment. Commissioners will discuss the project with staff and legal counsel, but they are not expected to make a decision on the permit application.

The three-member commission denied a permit for the proposed pipeline last year. The commission held another series of public meetings this spring after Summit revised its permit application.

Summit has made changes to the pipeline route in North Dakota, moving farther away from Bismarck in response to landowners concerns. The company also made changes to avoid landslide and wildlife areas. The project continued to draw strong opposition from some landowners during the most recent public hearings.

PSC chair Randy Christmann said he anticipates the commission will need more than one work session to discuss the project before members can consider taking a vote. 

“I really want to have a thorough discussion of everything,” he said.

The $8 billion project would capture carbon emissions from 57 ethanol plants in five states. The CO2 would be piped to an underground storage area northwest of Bismarck. 

A livestream of the work session also will be available.

Meanwhile, a public comment period for a small section of pipeline proposed for western Minnesota continues through Sept. 11. 

This North Dakota Monitor article is republished online under  Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 

Photo: Public Service Commission Chair Randy Christmann, right, asks questions April 22, 2024, during a public hearing on the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. At left is Commissioner Sheri Haugen-Hoffart. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor).

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Posted by on Sep 09, 2024 at 08:36 AM | | Comments (0)

Sep 08, 2024

Summit Carbon Solutions pipelines won’t capture all carbon emitted by ethanol plants

The Poet Biorefining ethanol plant in Chancellor, pictured on Sept. 6, 2024. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Yet another look from the South Dakota Searchlight at the ethanol carbon pipeline system proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions across the upper Midwest.

A good moment to remind readers that comments on the Minnesota Department of Commerce Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for a route permit for the Otter Tail to Wilkin County portion of Summit Carbon Solutions proposed CO2 pipeline and Carbon Capture project in Minnesota.

To do so, follow the links in this X post by rural environment and energy action group CURE:

That notice is just for the Otter Tail to Wilkin County portion of the pipeline. The article below, republished from South Dakota Searchlight, addresses an issue with the entire project.

Pipeline won’t capture all carbon emitted by ethanol plants
by Joshua Haiar

Corn fermentation emissions would be sequestered, but emissions from gas-powered machinery would go into the atmosphere

A company proposing an $8 billion carbon dioxide pipeline through eastern South Dakota says the project would be good for the environment.

The claim is based on the heat-trapping carbon dioxide emitted by ethanol plants that would be captured, transported by the pipeline and stored underground in North Dakota.

“This carbon capture and storage project will have the capacity to prevent the release of 18 million metric tons of CO2 to the atmosphere every year,” says the project website, “or the equivalent of removing the annual CO2 emissions of 4 million vehicles from our roads.”

While that’s true, participating ethanol plants could still emit about 7 million metric tons of additional carbon dioxide annually. That’s because the pipeline would only capture some — not all — of the CO2 emitted by the plants. 

When ethanol plants turn corn into a gasoline additive, they produce two kinds of CO2 emissions: the kind emitted by fossil fuels used to power industrial equipment, such as boilers and grain dryers, and the kind emitted by corn during fermentation.

Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline would capture carbon dioxide from corn fermentation. The CO2 emitted by gas-powered machines would be released to the atmosphere.

“So, there are still existing emissions associated with corn ethanol that aren’t being neutralized here,” said Daniel Sanchez, an assistant professor at the University of California-Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.

Sanchez said capturing CO2 emissions from industrial equipment, like boilers and grain dryers, is more expensive than capturing fermentation emissions. Industrial machinery uses a lot of natural gas, which releases more than CO2 when burned as fuel. He said it requires extra processes to separate that CO2 from water vapor and other gases.

Iowa-based Summit has partnered with ethanol producers including Poet and Valero to capture fermentation-produced CO2 at 57 ethanol plants in South Dakota and several other states and store it underground in North Dakota. The project, which has not yet gained a permit from South Dakota regulators, would capitalize on federal tax credits that are intended to incentivize the prevention of greenhouse gas emissions.

Amount of fermentation emissions unknown

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency only reports the amount of carbon dioxide that ethanol plants emit from gas-powered processes. Seven million metric tons was the approximate sum of those emissions from the 57 Summit-partnered ethanol plants in 2022.

The EPA does not report the amount of corn-fermentation carbon dioxide emitted. That’s because fermentation emissions are considered cyclical. Corn pulls carbon dioxide out of the air as it grows in a cornfield. Then it releases carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere as it ferments in an ethanol plant. Finally, farmers plant more corn, and the cycle continues.

Summit declined to release amounts of CO2 emitted from corn fermentation at its 57 partner ethanol plants. Ben Nelson, Summit’s director of carbon programs, said a typical 100-million-gallon plant produces about 286,000 metric tons of fermentation CO2. 

Sanchez, of California-Berkeley, said “modern and efficient” ethanol plants emit about 90,000 metric tons of fermentation CO2. 

The diverging estimates mean the Summit pipeline and its 57 partner plants could capture anywhere from 5 million to 16 million metric tons of fermentation CO2 annually — both of which are within the pipeline’s proposed capacity of 18 million metric tons. 

For comparison, approximately 1,300 power plants across the U.S. emitted about 1.5 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2022.

“This is both a giant pipeline project and a drop in the bucket,” Sanchez said.

Aiming for net-negative

Sanchez added that if an ethanol plant replaces its natural gas use with something sustainable, while also capturing and storing its fermentation CO2 emissions, it can pull more greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere than are released in the production lifecycle of ethanol associated with the plant.

Nelson pointed to a 2022 report for the Renewable Fuels Association that said ethanol production could reach net-negative emissions by 2040. The report indicates carbon sequestration at ethanol plants would make the biggest difference – a bigger difference than industry-wide implementation of farming practices that sequester more carbon in the soil, such as less disruptive tillage practices and planting cover crops.  

Nelson said the average ethanol plant emits about 55 grams of CO2 per megajoule (a unit of energy) of ethanol produced, and Summit’s project would lower that to about 25 grams of CO2.

“Achieving net-negative emissions will also require other efforts such as climate-smart farming, using renewable natural gas, renewable electricity at ethanol plants, and improving plant efficiency,” Nelson said. 

In South Dakota, some ethanol plants are already receiving what’s been coined “renewable natural gas” derived from landfill emissions, and a Brookings area utility company is sending the methane emitted from dairy livestock manure to be mixed into regional natural gas supplies. 

This South Dakota Searchlight article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 

Photo: The Poet Biorefining ethanol plant in Chancellor, pictured on Sept. 6, 2024. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

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Posted by on Sep 08, 2024 at 10:32 AM | | Comments (0)

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