Latest news with #SummitCarbonSolutions
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal appeals court faces backlash after siding with controversial pipeline project: 'Inconsistent with state law'
Prompting sharp criticism, a federal court of appeals has sided with a pipeline company over local officials and residents, striking down ordinances aimed at regulating pipelines within their communities, the Gazette reported. Summit Carbon Solutions is seeking to build a pipeline that would transport sequestered carbon dioxide across five states, including Iowa. In response to Summit's plan, two Iowa counties, Shelby and Story, passed laws that put restrictions on pipeline construction within their borders, according to the appeals court decision. Summit Carbon Solutions then sued the two counties, arguing that both federal and state law preempted local governments' ability to regulate pipeline construction in their own backyards. Under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, a federal law preempts any state law that is in conflict with it. Similarly, under Iowa state law, a law passed by the Iowa general assembly takes precedence over any local law. In 2023, a federal district court sided with Summit, ruling that the federal Pipeline Safety Act and Iowa state law both superseded the county ordinances, effectively striking them down. Shelby and Story counties then appealed the decision, taking the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. On June 5, a three-judge panel for the Eighth Circuit released its opinion upholding the lower court ruling. "The PSA preempts the Shelby and Story ordinances' setback, emergency response, and abandonment provisions," the court found, referring to the federal Pipeline Safety Act. According to the Gazette, the court also found that the ordinances "would prohibit a pipeline company from building in a certain location, even if the (Iowa Utilities Commission) permits construction there. That possibility makes the pipeline company permitting requirements inconsistent with state law and thus preempted." Unless the Iowa counties appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, their pipeline regulations will remain struck down. This case was significant because it tested the ability of local residents and their representatives in municipal government to challenge the presence of massive, dangerous pipelines passing through their communities. Do you think fracking should be illegal in America? Yes — everywhere Yes — in most areas In some areas No Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Summit Carbon Solutions' plan involved building a 2,500-mile pipeline that would transport carbon captured from ethanol plants across five different states all the way to North Dakota, where it would be pumped underground, according to the Gazette. Over the course of those 2,500 miles, about the distance from San Francisco to New York City, the pipeline would pass through countless local communities. These communities are the ones who bear the brunt of such pipeline projects: the risks to human health, the property damage, the environmental degradation, and the ever-present-danger of a pipeline disaster. And yet, as the appeals court decision showed, any effort by residents and municipal governments to use local law to regulate the presence of pipelines in their communities will likely be challenged and potentially struck down. After the Eighth Circuit released its decision, Summit applauded the ruling, saying it "supports a consistent, lawful permitting process for critical infrastructure projects like ours," according to the Gazette. While the appellate ruling has frustrated local efforts to have a say in whether and how pipelines pass through their communities, the decision explicitly did not block every available avenue. "While we had hoped for a more decisive ruling affirming local control, the Court clearly acknowledged that counties can consider safety and implement zoning ordinances," said Emma Schmit, a member of Pipeline Fighters, a group opposed to the project, in a press release. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds rejects GOP bill to increase regulations on carbon dioxide pipeline
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday rejected a bill that could have introduced more complications for a massive carbon-capture pipeline project routed across several Midwestern states, issuing a rare veto in the Republican-controlled statehouse. The legislation was designed by Iowa House Republicans to increase regulations of Summit Carbon Solutions' estimated $8.9 billion, 2,500-mile project that cuts across Iowa and already has an approved permit in the state. But in the Senate, it exposed a rift within the party over how to protect property rights. It also provoked loud opposition from members of Iowa's powerful ethanol industry, which argued the project is essential for Iowa's agricultural dominance, for farmers and for construction jobs. Even with the relief from Reynolds' veto, Summit will likely have to readjust plans after South Dakota's governor signed a ban on the use of eminent domain — the government seizure of private property with compensation — to acquire land for carbon dioxide pipelines. Summit's permit application was also rejected in South Dakota. The project has permit approvals in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota but faces various court challenges. The Iowa bill would have prohibited the renewal of permits for a carbon dioxide pipeline, limited the use of such a pipeline to 25 years and significantly increased the insurance coverage requirements for the pipeline company. Those provisions would likely have made it less financially feasible for a company to build a carbon dioxide pipeline. As the legislative session wound down, a dozen Republican senators insisted their leaders bring the House-approved bill to the floor for a vote after several years of inaction. The stalemate ended in a long and divisive debate among the Iowa Senate's Republican supermajority, with senators openly criticizing one another and exposing the closed-door discussions that got them there. The pipeline's many critics have for years begged lawmakers for action. They accuse Summit of stepping on their property rights and downplaying the safety risks of building the pipeline alongside family homes, near schools and across ranches. Lee Enterprises and The Associated Press reviewed hundreds of cases that reveal the great legal lengths the company went to to get the project built. In South Dakota, in particular, a slew of eminent domain legal actions to obtain land sparked a groundswell of opposition that was closely watched by lawmakers in Iowa as well. But as debate in the state Senate seemed inevitable, dozens of Summit employees and leaders and members of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and labor unions made a big showing as well. The pipeline was proposed to carry carbon emissions from ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to be stored underground permanently in North Dakota. By lowering carbon emissions from the plants, the pipeline would lower their carbon intensity scores and make them more competitive in the renewable fuels market. The project would also allow ethanol producers and Summit to tap into federal tax credits. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw said in a May 12 statement after the vote that a majority of the Iowa Senate "turned their back on Iowa agriculture."
Washington Post
11-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Iowa governor rejects GOP bill to increase regulations of Summit's carbon dioxide pipeline
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday rejected a bill that could have introduced more complications for a massive carbon-capture pipeline project routed across several Midwestern states, issuing a rare veto in the Republican-controlled statehouse. The legislation was designed by Iowa House Republicans to increase regulations of Summit Carbon Solutions' estimated $8.9 billion, 2,500-mile (4,023-kilometer) project that cuts across Iowa and already has an approved permit in the state.
Associated Press
11-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Iowa governor rejects GOP bill to increase regulations of Summit's carbon dioxide pipeline
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday rejected a bill that could have introduced more complications for a massive carbon-capture pipeline project routed across several Midwestern states, issuing a rare veto in the Republican-controlled statehouse. The legislation was designed by Iowa House Republicans to increase regulations of Summit Carbon Solutions' estimated $8.9 billion, 2,500-mile (4,023-kilometer) project that cuts across Iowa and already has an approved permit in the state. But in the Senate, it exposed a rift within the party over how to protect property rights. It also provoked loud opposition from members of Iowa's powerful ethanol industry, which argued the project is essential for Iowa's agricultural dominance, for farmers and for construction jobs. Even with the relief from Reynolds' veto, Summit will likely have to readjust plans after South Dakota's governor signed a ban on the use of eminent domain — the government seizure of private property with compensation — to acquire land for carbon dioxide pipelines. Summit's permit application was also rejected in South Dakota. The project has permit approvals in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota but faces various court challenges. The Iowa bill would have prohibited the renewal of permits for a carbon dioxide pipeline, limited the use of such a pipeline to 25 years and significantly increased the insurance coverage requirements for the pipeline company. Those provisions would likely have made it less financially feasible for a company to build a carbon dioxide pipeline. As the legislative session wound down, a dozen Republican senators insisted their leaders bring the House-approved bill to the floor for a vote after several years of inaction. The stalemate ended in a long and divisive debate among the Iowa Senate's Republican supermajority, with senators openly criticizing one another and exposing the closed-door discussions that got them there. The pipeline's many critics have for years begged lawmakers for action. They accuse Summit of stepping on their property rights and downplaying the safety risks of building the pipeline alongside family homes, near schools and across ranches. Lee Enterprises and The Associated Press reviewed hundreds of cases that reveal the great legal lengths the company went to to get the project built. In South Dakota, in particular, a slew of eminent domain legal actions to obtain land sparked a groundswell of opposition that was closely watched by lawmakers in Iowa as well. But as debate in the state Senate seemed inevitable, dozens of Summit employees and leaders and members of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and labor unions made a big showing as well. The pipeline was proposed to carry carbon emissions from ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to be stored underground permanently in North Dakota. By lowering carbon emissions from the plants, the pipeline would lower their carbon intensity scores and make them more competitive in the renewable fuels market. The project would also allow ethanol producers and Summit to tap into federal tax credits. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw said in a May 12 statement after the vote that a majority of the Iowa Senate 'turned their back on Iowa agriculture.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Low-carbon jet fuel company foresees huge investment in western North Dakota
Red Trail Energy near Richardton, North Dakota, was acquired by Gevo, a company that is developing sustainable jet fuel. (Photo by Amy Dalrymple/North Dakota Monitor) WEST FARGO, N.D. — The demand for jet fuel is going up. The demand for gasoline is going down. That's the simple explanation from Chris Ryan, the president and chief operating officer of Gevo, on why the company plans to add a sustainable aviation fuel plant to the corn-based ethanol plant it purchased at Richardton in southwest North Dakota. Ryan said the low-carbon jet fuel won't come cheap – throwing out a ballpark figure of $500 million for a potential project still years down the road. Ryan spoke Tuesday in Fargo at the Midwest Agriculture Summit hosted by The Chamber of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo. Colorado-based Gevo bought the Red Trail Energy ethanol plant at Richardton last year. The Red Trail plant was the first ethanol producer in the country to implement carbon sequestration — capturing carbon dioxide from the plant's corn fermentation tanks and pumping it into permanent underground storage. The CO2 sequestration is key in lowering the carbon intensity score of the plant and for sustainable jet fuel production. Low-carbon fuels can fetch a higher price than traditional liquid fuels. 'We could make gasoline, but it's a diminishing market,' Ryan said. 'So jet fuel is a kind of sexy thing to talk about these days.' In an interview with the North Dakota Monitor, Ryan said there is plenty of room to add a jet fuel plant at the 500-acre Richardton site. He said the plant would add about 50 jobs, about the same number that the ethanol plant employs. Expanding the ethanol plant also is a possibility, Ryan said. The company also is considering adding wind turbines at Richardton to provide power and lower the carbon score even further, he said. Even though renewable energy tax credits are a possible target for budget cuts under President Donald Trump, he said wind energy at the site still makes good economic sense. Gevo also has plans for a sustainable aviation fuel plant at Lake Preston in southeast South Dakota. The future of that plant depends in large part on the five-state Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project that would take carbon emissions from ethanol plants to western North Dakota for underground storage. Ryan said when the South Dakota project was conceived, it did not include carbon capture. But as construction costs soared with the COVID-19 pandemic, he said it became necessary to sign on to the Summit pipeline project. He said the federal tax credits for carbon sequestration would help offset the higher building costs. The project has stalled as Summit has run into permitting challenges and a new state law giving landowners more power in easement negotiations. 'We really need the pipeline,' Ryan said. He added that Gevo bought more land than it needed for the project. That is allowing for other projects at the site, benefiting Gevo and the Lake Preston area, he said. The Summit delays spurred the purchase of Red Trail, which had the advantage of sitting almost on top of an area suitable for underground carbon storage. 'We had to take our destiny into our own hands,' Ryan said, and not be dependent on the Summit pipeline. He said Gevo can 'copy and paste' the engineering work done for the South Dakota site to the Richardton site. While the carbon dioxide from the Richardton plant is being pumped underground, Ryan said Gevo recognizes that it has a potential for use in North Dakota's oilfields, making oil wells more productive through what is called enhanced oil recovery. North Dakota leaders have been trumpeting the economic benefits of enhanced oil recovery. Ryan said if the oil industry is willing to pay for carbon dioxide to use in enhanced oil recovery, Gevo would sell the CO2 rather than pump it underground. 'We don't care where the revenue comes from, right? Today, we sequester it for a tax credit, and we can sell carbon credits,' Ryan said. 'Or you can sell it to somebody for enhanced oil recovery.' He said he sees it as another advantage of doing business in North Dakota. 'People in North Dakota get that, they understand the value of that,' Ryan said. This story was originally published by North Dakota Monitor, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. North Dakota Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Amy Dalrymple for questions: info@
