Two Summit Carbon Solution ethanol carbon pipeline items have come Bluestem's path today. I last posted about the stralling pipeline project in SD pipeline foes secure legislative leadership; MN Summit decision could come Dec. 12.
A press release from pipeline opponent CURE:
MN greases the wheels for Summit’s CO2 pipeline, SD voters deal a serious blowMN PUC will decide on Summit’s permit in December 12th meeting
Montevideo, MN, November 12, 2024—Last week saw two important if contradictory decisions related to Summit Carbon Solutions LLC's controversial $8.9-billion carbon-capture pipeline project. One moves the CO2 pipeline one step forward in securing the permit for its proposed 28-mile segment in Minnesota. At the same time, the other is a major electoral setback in South Dakota.In South Dakota, voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have made the project easier to approve by allowing the company to override county-level and other local land-use and safety regulations. The ballot referendum known as Referred Law 21 vetoed a law that was passed earlier in the year and supported by ethanol giant POET LLC and Gov. Kristi Noem, among others. But voters in 65 out of 66 counties struck the law down. During this spring's GOP primaries, South Dakotans also ousted a number of incumbents who had supported the bill."South Dakota's rejection of Referred Law 21 is a repudiation of the bully tactics Summit Carbon Solutions has employed for’ over three years now,” said Chase Jensen, an organizer with South Dakota-based Dakota Rural Action. “This vote shows that citizens are paying attention and will not stand for a false-'compromise' bill that was written by and for industry.”Meanwhile, Minnesota moved closer to approving a 28-mile segment of Summit’s project in Otter Tail and Wilkin Counties, which would connect to the wider five-state network through North Dakota. On November 4, an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) issued her report finding that the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the pipeline segment is “adequate” and recommending that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issue a route permit for RA-South, which is Summit's preferred route. The Judge also concluded that constructing the project along RA-South “is not likely to cause the pollution, impairment, or destruction of the air, water, land, or other natural resources located within Minnesota.” CURE brought evidence that showed that alternative routes would have fewer impacts on public health, waterways, productive farmland, and protected species, but the ALJ selected the route favored by Summit.“The assertion that this pipeline along this route is unlikely to impact the lands, waterways, and communities it cuts through flies in the face of the ample evidence we and many others brought to these proceedings,” said Sarah Mooradian, Government and Policy Director at CURE. “Thankfully, we have a complete record that shows otherwise.”“The ALJ report repeatedly states that the public’s concerns have been addressed in the FEIS. This is in spite of the fact that Minnesotans showed up 100-to-1 to say the exact opposite at public hearings and in written comments,” added Maggie Schuppert of CURE. “Summit and their supporters try to paint the folks speaking out against the pipeline as a vocal but insignificant minority—looking at the results from South Dakota, it’s pretty obvious that’s not the case.”The PUC is expected to take up the ALJ’s proposals at its December 12 agenda meeting and decide whether to approve Summit’s permit and preferred route. “It’s important to remember that the ALJ recommendations are just that—recommendations,” said Hudson Kington, CURE’s Legal Director. “The decision to approve the route permit lies with the PUC Commissioners, they are the ones who are accountable.”Additional info about CO2 pipelines: www.carbonpipelinesmn.orgCURE is rurally based, with staff across Minnesota. CURE knows rural people, lands, and ecosystems are vital to helping solve some of the biggest problems Minnesota and the country face. We help to tell the story of a vibrant rural future, lift-up people to lead, and work for policies and laws to make a better future possible for everyone.
Summit carbon pipeline decision coming Friday from North Dakota PSC
by Jeff BeachThe North Dakota Public Service Commission will meet Friday to vote on the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project that aims to permanently store carbon emissions underground west of Bismarck.
The commission will meet at 10 a.m. in the Pioneer Room on the ground floor in the Judicial Wing of the Capitol Building.
The PSC denied Summit a permit in 2023, but the company made changes to its route in North Dakota and appealed the decision.
The three-person commission has held multiple public hearings on the $8 billion pipeline network that would gather carbon emissions from ethanol plants in five states, including Tharaldson Ethanol at Casselton, North Dakota.
Supporters view the project as vital to helping the ethanol industry compete in low-carbon fuel markets. Ethanol is a key market for corn growers.
Opponents cite safety concerns, damage to farmland and property values and an infringement on property rights. Some landowners also have complained about Summit’s business practices.
Iowa has granted Summit a permit, and the company says it plans to try again for a permit in South Dakota. Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission is expected to vote Dec. 12 on a 28-mile segment near the North Dakota state line.
The project also includes Nebraska, which has no state agency in charge of issuing permits for CO2 pipelines.
Summit would benefit from federal tax credits of $85 per ton of CO2 that it plans to put underground in North Dakota, and would sequester 18 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Iowa-based Summit will need a separate storage permit from the North Dakota Industrial Commission.
Photo: A truck delivers corn to the Tharaldson Ethanol plant near Casselton, North Dakota, on May 15, 2024. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor).
This North Dakota Monitor article is republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Related posts
- SD pipeline foes secure legislative leadership; MN Summit decision could come Dec. 12
- In unofficial results, ethanol carbon-pipeline law tossed out by South Dakota voters
- CURE: MN Administrative Law Judge’s report on Summit’s CO 2 pipeline expected November 4
- Seven South Dakota ballot measures, $7 million and counting: Reports reveal total spending
- Jeepers: ethanol coop kicks in another $400,000 to support carbon pipeline ballot question
- Ethanol carbon news digest: Summit Carbon pipeline in MN, Iowa & North Dakota media
- Summit Carbon Solutions CEO asks for prayer, while MN PUC wants public comment on FEIS of Otter Tail – Wilkin portion of CO2 Pipeline
- Public can comment on Otter Tail – Wilkin Co section of ethanol carbon pipeline until Sept. 11
- VIDEO: Carbon capture in Minnesota: public lands, fast money, and pipe dreams
- Summit pipeline segment enters final permitting stages in Minnesota; CURE raises objections
- Ethanol is fueling support of South Dakota carbon pipeline ballot measure
- Pipeline Fighters Hub: Summit Carbon Solutions numbers don’t add up in South Dakota
- Referred Law 21 & carbon pipelines: A landowner bill of rights or an undermining of local control
- Summit Carbon Solution's ethanol carbon pipeline takes #2 spot on Heatmap's The Most At-Risk Projects of The Energy Transition
- Ethanol carbon pipeline news: Attorneys differ on meaning of common carrier law in Summit case
- Summit Carbon Solutions pipelines won’t capture all carbon emitted by ethanol plants
- South Dakota Supreme Court ruling complicates Summit Carbon Solution’s push for land
- Referred pipeline law puts Summit Carbon Solution's permit quest in limbo
- Breaking crowded South Dakota ballot news: carbon pipeline law referendum validated
- Sustainable jet fuel company Gevo contributes $167K in defense of carbon pipeline law
- South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance turns in petitions to SD Secretary of State to force a vote on carbon pipeline policy
- South Dakota District 1 GOP House primary news round-up: carbon pipeline politics major issue
- New Midwest battles brew over CO2 pipelines
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