Latest news with #KristieFiegen
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Regulators deny Summit's CO2 pipeline application
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The latest attempt to route a CO2 pipeline through South Dakota has ended in a defeat for the company. The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday denied the permit application from Summit Carbon Solutions. Commissioner Kristie Fiegen and commission chair Gary Hanson voted for the denial. Commissioner Chris Nelson voted no. The denial was without prejudice, which means Summit can file another application in the future. Summit submitted the application in November, after South Dakota voters had rejected Senate Bill 201. It attempted to state that a PUC permit overrides any local regulations. The passage of SB 201 last year led to significant turnover in the legislative elections last year and brought a stronger anti-CO2 membership to both the House of Representatives and the Senate. That in turn led to passage this year of House Bill 1052 that says CO2 projects can't use eminent domain to force their way across people's properties. The passage of HB 1052 then led to Summit asking the state commission to suspend the schedule and put the application on hold indefinitely. That position later changed. On Tuesday, Summit attorney Brett Koenecke repeated that Summit was willing to accept 12 months. Summit has received approval for the pipeline from other states. Landowners attorney Brian Jorde requested the denial. He told the South Dakota commission on Tuesday that Summit has no way to get the line from Iowa into Lincoln County and no way to get the line to North Dakota through McPherson County. Koenecke said Summit still believes there is a chance to reach agreements with landowners along the South Dakota portion of the route. But, he noted, 'I think the price of poker has gone up considerably.' Said commission chair Hanson, 'I don't see the possibility of an indefinite suspension.' He told Koenecke, 'You're between a rock and a hard place.' Koenecke said there are people — 'lots of them' — who support the proposed pipeline. 'Why can't you let it play out?' he asked the commissioners. 'Let's find out if this is possible. Let's find out.' Jorde, the landowners attorney, said Summit doesn't plan to refer HB 1052 to a public vote. 'It's like watching a slow car crash,' he said. Commissioner Fiegen made the motion for denial. 'The application is not ready to go forward,' she said. 'The current route in my view is not viable.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South Dakota panel rejects permit for an $8.9 billion carbon capture Midwest pipeline
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The massive carbon capture pipeline in the Midwest was thrown into uncertainty Tuesday after South Dakota's Public Utility Commission denied its route permit application. The commission voted 2-1 to deny the application by Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions, with Commissioner Kristie Fiegen saying it was 'incomplete' and lacked 'the form and content required.' South Dakota lawmakers passed an eminent domain ban for carbon capture pipelines in March that makes Summit's planned route difficult, commissioners agreed. Summit said it will refile its application with a reduced route in South Dakota to satisfy landowners and plant partners. 'While we are disappointed in today's decision, we remain committed to South Dakota as without it the ethanol industry, farmers, and land values in the state will all suffer,' the company said in a statement. South Dakota is a crucial part of the 2,500-mile pipeline, estimated to cost $8.9 billion. The pipeline would transport carbon emissions from ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to be stored underground permanently in North Dakota. Summit had requested a timeline extension on its permit application to rework its route in a way that would satisfy landowners. Questions about the pipeline arose after South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on eminent domain for carbon capture projects, in which the government can seize private property with compensation. Without that power, Summit would need to secure voluntary agreements with landowners along the South Dakota route. Instead of pursuing legal action against the state, Summit said in its filing that additional time would allow it to 'roll out new offers to landowners' and identify which branches to ethanol plants it can eliminate that face significant landowner opposition. South Dakota is a crucial part of the 2,500-mile pipeline. The project already has approvals in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota, and Summit has invested more than $150 million into its route in South Dakota. Summit's pipeline promises to lower the carbon intensity of ethanol to make it more competitive as a sustainable product.
The Independent
22-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
South Dakota panel rejects permit for an $8.9 billion carbon capture Midwest pipeline
The massive carbon capture pipeline in the Midwest has been thrown into uncertainty after South Dakota's Public Utility Commission denied its route permit application Tuesday. The commission voted 2-1 to deny the application by Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions, with Commissioner Kristie Fiegen saying it was 'incomplete' and lacked 'the form and content required.' South Dakota lawmakers passed an eminent domain ban for carbon capture pipelines in March that makes Summit's planned route difficult, commissioners agreed. Summit said it will refile its application with a reduced route in South Dakota to satisfy landowners and plant partners. 'While we are disappointed in today's decision, we remain committed to South Dakota as without it the ethanol industry, farmers, and land values in the state will all suffer,' the company said in a statement. South Dakota is a crucial part of the 2,500-mile pipeline, which would transport carbon emissions from ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to be stored underground permanently in North Dakota. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. The company behind a planned $8.9 billion carbon capture pipeline in the Midwest has proposed reducing its route through South Dakota to secure the necessary permitting. In a filing with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on Friday, Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions requested a timeline extension on its permit application to rework its route in a way that would satisfy landowners. The commission is expected to decide on this extension request during its meeting Tuesday afternoon. Questions about the pipeline arose after South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on eminent domain for carbon capture projects, in which the government can seize private property with compensation. Without that power, Summit would need to secure voluntary agreements with landowners along the South Dakota route. Instead of pursuing legal action against the state, Summit said in its filing that additional time would allow it to 'roll out new offers to landowners' and identify which branches to ethanol plants it can eliminate that face significant landowner opposition. 'The Applicant believes threatening legal action is counter-productive to attempting to do good-faith business with the state,' Summit attorney Brett Koenecke wrote in the filing. 'Instead, the Applicant intends to make significant efforts and undertake several tasks in the coming weeks and months to advance the project and prepare to proceed with a new scheduling order.' South Dakota is a crucial part of the 2,500-mile pipeline, which would carry carbon emissions from ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to be stored underground permanently in North Dakota. The project already has approvals in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota, and Summit has invested more than $150 million into its route in South Dakota. The ethanol industry is concentrated in the Midwest, with nearly 40% of the nation's corn used to brew ethanol. Summit's pipeline promises to lower the carbon intensity of ethanol to make it more competitive as a sustainable product.
