Carbon sequestration pipeline includes Montgomery County
Montgomery, Mills, Page and Fremont Counties are four out of 30 counties in Iowa where a 710-mile underground pipeline of captured CO2 might pass through.
Summit Carbon Solutions, owned by Summit Agricultural Group, plans to construct a $4.5 billion pipeline as part of a system to capture carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol plants before its released into the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming.
The company will compress the emissions into a liquid and transport it to North Dakota, where it’ll be injected into underground geologic storage locations.
If the plans are approved, Jessie Harris, Summit Carbon Solutions spokesman, said they anticipate between 14,000 and 17,000 jobs during construction. Once operational, he said there would be between 350 and 460 permanent jobs due to the project.
“From economic standpoint, it is a big investment across the Midwest,” said Harris. “We have long-term off tank agreements with 31 ethanol plants across five states, which include 12 ethanol plants in Iowa. The vision for the project is that we install new infrastructure in each of these ethanol plants and capture the CO2 emissions before they are emitted into the atmosphere. We would compress those gasses and place them into a pipeline where they will be transported to North Dakota where the CO2 will be stored permanently in the deep underground geologic storage locations. From an environment standpoint this project, if approved, would be the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world. It would have the capacity of capturing and storing up to 12 million tons of the CO2 per year; that is the equivalent of about 2.6 million automobiles off the road on an annual basis, so it’s a pretty significant environmental impact.”
One of the ethanol plants Summit Carbon Solutions is partnering with in Iowa is Green Plains Inc., in Shenandoah.
“This is an exciting opportunity for these ethanol plants because it will allow them to be put on track to be able to produce fuel/ethanol that would be a net zero fuel source by the end of the decade. This will allow them to be able to access the markets that are adopting low carbon fuel standards, and as a result they will be able to access those markets and sell their product at a premium,” Harris said.
Harris explained carbon capture technology has been in use since the 1990s. There are currently 40 ethanol plants across the United States that use carbon capture technology already, as well as roughly 5,000 miles of CO2 pipeline already existing in the U.S.
“There is a drive to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture is an important part of being able to achieve that goal,” said Harris.
Unlike natural gas and oil pipelines, Harris said this is a rare instance where people from all walks of life and across all political spectrums can get behind and support. He added that CO2 pipelines are a very safe pipeline with no fatalities in the past two decades.
“This is a proven technology being taken to the next level.”
Passing though Iowa, the pipeline will touch the states of Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota, where Summit Carbon Solutions has other ethanol plant partners. The project is being referred to as the Midwest Carbon Express. The storage site in North Dakota is located in the central part of the state.
“North Dakota has some of the most abundant and safest geological storage potential in the United States. Captured CO2 is permanently stored in geologic storage areas in North Dakota. Wells are drilled several thousand feet below ground where CO2 can be stored safely based on the standards put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency,” Harris said.
On Aug. 12, the Iowa Utilities Board issued a letter approving the locations, dates, and times for a series of public informational meetings to inform landowners about a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline in Iowa by Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC.
The proposed project is classified as a hazardous liquid pipeline, which is governed by Iowa Code chapter 479B and the IUB’s administrative rules at 199 Iowa Administrative Code chapter 13.
Under Iowa Code chapter 479B, the pipeline company is required to hold informational meetings in each county in which real property or property rights would be affected, and the meetings are to be conducted at least 30 days prior to the company filing a petition for a new pipeline permit. The pipeline company will provide notice of the informational meetings to each landowner affected by the proposed pipeline and each person in possession of or residing on the property.
Local meetings include:
• Mills County – Oct. 11, noon, Lakin Community Center, 61321 315th St, Malvern 6 p.m.
• Fremont County – Oct. 11, 6 p.m., The Waterfalls, 907 Hartford Ave, Farragut 6 p.m.
• Page County – Oct. 14, noon, Shenandoah Public Library, 201 S Elm St, Shenandoah 6 p.m.
• Montgomery County – Oct. 14, 6 p.m., Montgomery County Ag Society Gold Building, 1809 N Fourth St, Red Oak 6 p.m.
Written comments or objections to the proposed pipeline can be filed by email to customer@iub.iowa.gov, or by postal mail to the Iowa Utilities Board, Attn: Docket No. HLP-2021-0001, 1375 E. Court Ave., Des Moines, IA 50319.