The saga of the Summit Carbon Solutions' ethanol carbon pipeline continues.
Over at the South Dakota Searchlight, Joshua Haiar reported a sidenote on Saturday in Staunch conservatives take leadership positions in GOP-led state Legislature:
A group of staunchly conservative Republicans claimed control of key leadership positions in the state Legislature on Friday evening.
The leadership election in Pierre marked a consolidation of power for the faction, which has pushed for a more conservative agenda, including bills to regulate minors’ access to online pornography, curtail a controversial carbon capture pipeline, and cap property taxes.
Those stances have gained traction within the party’s conservative base, especially in rural and eastern parts of the state where the carbon pipeline has been a divisive issue. The proposed project from Summit Carbon Solutions would capture carbon produced by Midwest ethanol plants and ship it to North Dakota for underground sequestration.
Pipeline opponents ousted 11 of the 14 incumbents who lost seats in the June primary. Those incumbents had voted for a bill that was dubbed the “Landowner Bill of Rights” by its supporters, but was seen as a pro-pipeline law by landowner activists. Opponents petitioned the law onto the general election ballot, and voters soundly rejected it on Election Day. . . .
It appears that another fate awaits one branch of the pipeline in Minnesota.
From the North Dakota Monitor
Summit pipeline decision in Minnesota could come Dec. 12
by Jeff BeachAn administrative law judge report recommends that Minnesota approve a small segment of the massive Summit Carbon Solutions project that would store millions of tons of carbon dioxide underground in North Dakota.
A final decision from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission could come at its Dec. 12 meeting, a spokesperson for the agency said in an email.
The 28-mile segment in Otter Tail and Wilkin counties would connect the Green Plains ethanol plant at Fergus Falls in northwest Minnesota to about 2,500 miles of pipeline planned by Summit Carbon Solutions.
If built, the five-state pipeline network would send carbon emissions from ethanol plants to a permanent underground storage area northwest of Bismarck.
The report filed last week by an administrative law judge said an environmental impact statement is adequate and the project is unlikely to pollute Minnesota’s natural resources.
CURE, a Minnesota environmental group opposed to the project, said the report “fails to address the many concerns that impacted landowners and hundreds of community members have raised in written comments and public hearings.”
The group said the commission “will be setting a dangerously low bar for environmental review for Summit’s current project and the other pipelines it has plans to build in the state.”
In an emailed statement, Summit said “this report reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in ensuring the project meets rigorous standards.”
Summit says it has secured 89% of the 28-mile route through voluntary easements. In Minnesota, Summit does not have the option of using eminent domain to obtain right-of-way for the pipeline.
Eminent domain is a point of contention with landowners in other states.
Summit did not say when it expects to file for a route permit for the larger larger part of its project in west-central and southern Minnesota.
Summit is awaiting rulings in North Dakota on permit applications for its pipeline route and underground storage.
Iowa has granted Summit a permit, and the company says it plans to try again for a permit in South Dakota. The project also includes Nebraska, which has no state agency in charge of issuing permits for CO2 pipelines.
The report says Summit plans to begin construction in Minnesota in the third quarter of 2025.
Map: Summit Carbon Solutions plans to build a 2,500-mile network of CO2 pipelines across the Midwest to capture carbon produced by ethanol plants and then sequester it underground in North Dakota. Minnesota regulators are evaluating a 28-mile stretch of the project. (Courtesy of Summit Carbon Solutions/North Dakota Monitor )
This North Dakota Monitor article is republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Related posts
- 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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