Representatives from Summit Carbon Solutions visited the Shelby County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday. A carbon capture pipeline is planned for the county. A little more than half of the landowners on the pipeline route have signed a voluntary easement agreement with Summit, but several landowner want nothing to do with the pipeline.
- Pipeline opponents have raised concerns about safety, eminent domain, and water usage. Cooling the CO2 as part of the carbon capture process uses water. Summit estimates that ethanol plants will increase their water consumption by nine percent.
- “So, if we have a pipeline running through our county and we have no ethanol plant here, can you explain how this benefits us?” asked Steve Kenkel, a former supervisor and CO2 pipeline liaison to the Shelby County Board of Supervisors.
- “It’s going to create a larger market, which then increases the value of the corn,” said engineer, Kylie Lange, the Iowa pipeline project manager for Summit.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“This pipeline is a joke, no offense,” Cindy, a pipeline opponent, said.
Eminent domain, safety, water usage: all issues on the minds of Shelby County neighbors as they got a chance to ask questions about a planned carbon capture pipeline through their county.
I’m Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel, in Harlan.
Expecting a crowd, the board of supervisors moved its meeting to the community center on Tuesday.
“So, if we have a pipeline running through our county and we have no ethanol plant here, can you explain how this benefits us?” asked Steve Kenkel, a former supervisor and CO2 pipeline liaison to the Shelby County Board of Supervisors.
Representatives from Summit Carbon Solutions provided an update about a planned pipeline. It would run through the county from ethanol plants in other parts of Iowa.
“It’s going to create a larger market, which then increases the value of the corn,” said engineer, Kylie Lange, the Iowa pipeline project manager for Summit.
Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of ethanol. By capturing it, and keeping it out of the atmosphere, the carbon score of corn ethanol is lowered, making it eligible for more products such as sustainable aviation fuel.
But higher corn prices aren’t enough for some of the landowners on the pipeline route.
"There’s no way that somebody’s going to want to put a house on land that has a pipeline in it,” said Sherri Webb.
One sticking point: water usage. It’s used to cool the CO2 into a fluid-like state. Summit estimates a nine percent increase in water use at the plants. Opponents are skeptical.
“So, it’s taking away the water supply from Iowans that we need for farming, for livestock for human consumption,” said Mary, another landowner opposed to CO2 pipelines.
It’s been almost a year since I first met Sherri Webb. Her family has not signed an easement with Summit and she pointed out that nearly half of their neighbors haven’t signed. She says she wasn’t satisfied with the answers provided Tuesday.
“And safety is a big issue. So is water,” she said.
Construction has not yet begun on the pipeline in Iowa.
The Iowa Utilities Commission has given permission for Summit to use eminent domain on phase one of the pipeline. However, the company points out that as of right now it’s still seeking voluntary participation.
