Summit Carbon Solutions provides update to Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors

MASON CITY — The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors today received an update from Summit Carbon Solutions on their proposed carbon capture pipeline project.

The Ames-based company is continuing their work on what it calls the Midwest Carbon Express pipeline, which would transport carbon dioxide at partner ethanol plants to be stored permanently underground in North Dakota. 

The Iowa Utilities Commission in August 2024 granted a permit to Summit, but it required the company to secure permits to extend the pipeline through South Dakota. South Dakota lawmakers recently passed a law barring the use of eminent domain to seize land for the pipeline from landowners unwilling to sign easement agreements.

Summit project manager Joseph Crosgrove says they’ve submitted an amendment to the IUC to alter their permit.  “We wanted to preserve the optionality of going to a sequestration site. So the permit originally says to go to North Dakota to sequester, we just wanted it to be worded to say to a permanent well sequestered site. We have looked at other options. One of those options is going west. We’re still looking north, but we have looked west, and we want to preserve that option just in case, or go north, or go both directions that it’s only a permanent well as required.”

Crosgrove says while the pipeline path appears to be blocked through South Dakota, they are looking at all options.   “We’re still looking at going through South Dakota for sure. Obviously it’s going to be more difficult with the law that was passed. We have looked at going toward the DJ Basin which is a mixture of the corner of Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas, and that will be going that direction. Preferably through Nebraska, but we have also looked to go through Minnesota or South Dakota north as well.”

Crosgrove says Summit will be holding an open house for the public at the Floyd County Fairgrounds on Wednesday November 12th from 7:00 to 9:00 AM to answer questions from the public and local officials.