The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) may rule on a 28-mile Minnesota segment of the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline at its Dec. 12 meeting, according to the North Dakota Monitor.
The Minnesota section of the project would be in Otter Tail and Wilkin counties and would connect the Green Plains ethanol plant at Fergus Falls. The North Dakota Monitor reports:
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 [sic] part of its project in west-central and southern Minnesota.
The report says Summit plans to begin construction in Minnesota in the third quarter of 2025.
The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline would run 2,500 miles and carry CO2 emissions from 57 ethanol plants in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota into an underground depository in North Dakota. Iowa’s 700-mile section of the project was approved under the condition that it secures and maintains a $100 million insurance policy. Summit must receive approval in North Dakota and South Dakota before beginning construction. The project has been previously denied in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, and currently awaits rulings in North Dakota.
On Election Day in South Dakota, voters rejected SB 201, a bill regulating carbon dioxide pipelines, through a ballot question with 59.4% of the vote. The bill would have made it easier for pipeline companies to build projects by superseding local permitting restrictions. It has been described as a “landowner bill of rights” by supporters but opponents claim it undercuts local government control over the pipeline. Summit Carbon Solutions plans to reapply for a permit in South Dakota on November 19 regardless of this loss at the ballot box.
American Experiment’s government accountability reporter, Tom Steward, has followed the Summit Pipeline closely. Here’s a roundup of his coverage so far (and if I’ve missed some, let me know, as Tom is prolific):
South Dakota court rules against eminent domain for carbon pipeline (August 30, 2024)
South Dakota to vote on controversial CO2 pipeline law (July 12, 2024)
Iowa approval gives big boost to controversial CO2 pipeline to North Dakota (June 28, 2024)
Setback for controversial carbon pipeline as North Dakota denies permit (August 8, 2023)