Updated maps show new pipeline leg in Chippewa, Kandiyohi & Swift Counties
On March 13, CURE, a rural advocacy organization based out of Montevideo, filed an appeal to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) arguing that the decision to grant Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC a permit for 28-miles of CO2 pipeline in Otter Tail and Wilkin Counties is “inconsistent with [Minnesota’s] pipeline routing statutes and rules.” CURE’s petition to the PUC highlights that Summit’s project faces major questions about its path forward, and that Minnesotans need answers from regulators before allowing any further approvals in the state.
“We think the PUC misinterpreted the law in a number of ways when they granted this permit,” said Hudson Kingston, CURE’s Legal Director. “But our Petition for Reconsideration also raises new and pertinent information that the Commissioners just didn’t have when they made their decision in December. We hope they’ll consider how these changes fundamentally upend the direction and viability of this project and agree that granting this permit in Minnesota was premature.”
This “new information” includes big news out of South Dakota—
On March 6, the governor of South Dakota signed a new law. This law bans the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipeline—a process which gives utility companies and governments the ability to take private property for public projects. Summit’s project wants to move CO2 from over 50 ethanol plants in five states, including South Dakota, to a storage site in North Dakota. Now, CO2 pipeline companies must get permission from landowners to use their land in South Dakota.
The new law is seen as a blow to carbon capture projects in the Midwest, including Summit’s $9 billion project. On March 12, Summit paused its permit application in South Dakota because it said its original plan had “unrealistic timelines.”
CURE is calling attention to updated pipeline route maps that Summit released in mid-January. These maps show the addition of approximately 35 miles of new pipeline in Swift, Kandiyohi, and Chippewa counties and fuel questions about the proposed scale of future CO2 pipeline development in Minnesota.
“The new law passed by South Dakotans is another indication of just how uncertain and unpopular Summit’s project is,” said Peg Furshong, CURE’s community and landowner organizer. “Where this project goes from here is a giant question mark—will Summit abandon the project? Are they expanding the route or will they try to re-route the mainline, maybe through Minnesota? In any case, Minnesota’s regulators, the public, and impacted landowners should have answers before we start granting any approvals.”
CURE’s appeal also includes a federal document from January that says the safety zone for CO2 pipelines should be much bigger than what Minnesota approved. This means the current permit might not be enough to keep people safe, and the new info should be used to make a better decision.
