Summit Carbon Solutions

Affected landowner Jared Bossly (in vest) and others attend a hearing Sept. 11, 2023, in Fort Pierre where the Public Utilities Commission rejected a permit application from Summit Carbon Solutions. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

State denies Summit permit; both carbon pipelines proposed in SD now rejected

BY: - September 11, 2023

FORT PIERRE — Some landowners who’ve been fighting against a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline shed tears of joy Monday as South Dakota utility regulators denied a permit application from Summit Carbon Solutions. The decision means both carbon pipelines currently proposed in eastern South Dakota have been rejected in their first attempts to gain permits in […]

A map of Summit Carbon Solutions' proposed carbon-capture pipeline. (Courtesy of Summit Carbon Solutions)

Commission staff files motion to deny Summit’s carbon pipeline permit

BY: - September 8, 2023

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission’s staff has filed a motion to deny Summit Carbon Solutions’ application to construct a carbon dioxide pipeline, citing non-compliance with ordinances in Brown, McPherson, Minnehaha and Spink counties.  The news comes after Summit withdrew its request to have the commission overrule county ordinances. Another company trying to build a […]

Public Utilities Commissioner Kristie Fiegen participates in a hearing July 25, 2023, in Fort Pierre on a permit application for the proposed Heartland Greenway carbon dioxide pipeline. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Decision looms by Sept. 6 on pipeline permit, overruling counties

BY: - August 25, 2023

The Public Utilities Commission will decide at a later date whether it will overrule county zoning officials on behalf of a carbon pipeline company. Friday marked the second day of a two-day hearing in Pierre on the question of county authority, brought by  Navigator CO2 Ventures, the company behind one of two proposed carbon pipelines […]

Brian Jorde, at right, and Ryan Cwach, attorneys for opponent landowners, participate in a Public Utilities Commission hearing July 25, 2023, in Fort Pierre on the permit application for the proposed Heartland Greenway carbon dioxide pipeline. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Navigator asks Public Utilities Commission to shoot down county pipeline rules

BY: - August 24, 2023

South Dakota counties have taken extraordinary steps to interfere with state-level permitting for two carbon dioxide pipelines, a pipeline representative told the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on Thursday. The assertion was part of a PUC hearing at which the commission is being asked to preempt and overrule pipeline-related rules enacted by several South Dakota […]

Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, vice president of government and public affairs for Navigator CO2, debates state Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, on Aug. 22, 2023, at the Dacotah Bank Event Center in Brookings as moderator Sara Frankenstein looks on. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

During debate with lawmaker, carbon pipeline executive calls eminent domain a ‘last resort’

BY: - August 22, 2023

BROOKINGS — An executive for a carbon dioxide pipeline company said during a debate Tuesday evening that eminent domain is “a tool of absolute last resort.” Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, vice president of government and public affairs for Navigator CO2, debated state Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, at the Dacotah Bank Event Center. Hansen is a critic […]

A map of Summit Carbon Solutions' proposed carbon-capture pipeline. (Courtesy of Summit Carbon Solutions)

Summit adjusts proposed pipeline route in North Dakota

BY: - August 21, 2023

Summit Carbon Solutions would build its proposed carbon dioxide pipeline farther away from North Dakota’s capital city, according to a new route that is meant to assuage commissioners who denied the company a permit this month. The state is an important part of Summit’s project, which would transport captured carbon dioxide from more than 30 […]

The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline route in South Dakota. (Courtesy of South Dakota Public Utilities Commission)

Carbon pipeline company’s water-rights application sparks opposition

BY: - August 20, 2023

State officials are recommending a water-rights permit for a carbon dioxide pipeline company, but some nearby residents who use the same aquifer fear they could be negatively affected.   A corporate entity affiliated with Summit Carbon Solutions, called Redfield SCS Capture, has applied to drill a well that could take up to 21 million gallons of […]

A map of Summit Carbon Solutions' proposed carbon-capture pipeline. (Courtesy of Summit Carbon Solutions)

North Dakota denies Summit Carbon a pipeline permit

BY: - August 4, 2023

Summit Carbon Solutions has failed to minimize the negative impacts of its proposed carbon dioxide pipeline in North Dakota and will not be permitted to construct it, state regulators decided on Friday. The state is a key part of the company’s $5 billion project, which would span more than 2,000 miles in five states, including […]

John Abraham, a professor at the University of St. Thomas, prepares to offer expert testimony July 27, 2023, in Fort Pierre during a Public Utilities Commission hearing on a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Secret maps and toxic plumes dominate third day of pipeline testimony

BY: - July 27, 2023

FORT PIERRE – The “sensitive sites” potentially impacted by a carbon capture pipeline will remain confidential, for now. Meanwhile, modeling used to assess the impacts of a leak or rupture came under scrutiny Thursday during the third day of a permit hearing before state regulators at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center. Stephen Lee is the […]

Jared McEntaffer, CEO of Dakota Institute, testifies during a hearing July 26, 2023, in Fort Pierre on the permit sought by Navigator CO2 for a carbon capture pipeline. McEntaffer conducted an economic impact study on the project. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Economic projections questioned during second day of carbon pipeline hearing

BY: - July 26, 2023

FORT PIERRE — The economic benefits of a proposed carbon capture pipeline came under scrutiny Wednesday during the second day of a permit hearing before state regulators at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center. The project would create about 430 jobs in South Dakota during the construction phase, 20 jobs during operation, and $1.3 million in sales […]

The Public Utilities Commission conducts a hearing July 25, 2023, at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center in Fort Pierre on the permit application for the proposed Heartland Greenway carbon dioxide pipeline. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Carbon pipeline permit hearing kicks off with clashes on multiple fronts

BY: - July 25, 2023

FORT PIERRE — A multi-day permit hearing for a proposed carbon capture pipeline got off to a tense start Tuesday at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center as participants clashed over the rules of procedure and aspects of the project including land access, county-level regulations, safety and data quality. Brian Jorde, the attorney for some affected […]

Ed Fischbach, a Democrat and farmer from Spink County, speaks to a crowd of hundreds opposed to eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines on July 6, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Unusual alliances emerge amid opposition to eminent domain for carbon pipelines

BY: - July 7, 2023

Opponents of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipeline projects in South Dakota have forged a unique coalition. It includes Republicans, Democrats, climate change deniers who see the pipelines as a boondoggle, and environmentalists skeptical of the pipelines’ benefits. Many of them agree on one contention: that unlike water and natural gas pipelines, electrical transmission lines […]