Members of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission voted 5-0 to formally accept Summit Carbon Solution’s route permit application for what would be Minnesota’s first carbon capture pipeline. But even as the PUC launched the permit process, it also ordered an environmental review of the project.
Summit Carbon Solutions filed a permit in September for a liquid carbon dioxide pipeline that stretches 28 miles from the Green Plains Ethanol Plant near Fergus Falls to Breckenridge and then to North Dakota. It’s part of a $4.5 billion project that collects carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol plants in Minnesota and neighboring states, then stores the greenhouse gas underground in North Dakota.
Accepting the application as complete begins the approval process and allows for more opportunities for public engagement. The commission mandates the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is the most comprehensive form of environmental review in the state.
The decision follows months of pressure from landowners, tribal representatives, labor organizations and other stakeholders asking for a stronger environmental analysis of the project’s impacts. of water sources, farms and neighboring communities.
Larry Liepold stands where a possible pipeline would go if his family signs an easement agreement with Summit Carbon Solutions. Liepold’s family leases part of the farm in Heron Lake, Minn., with the Heron Lake BioEnergy ethanol plant in the background. Liepold said that he wants to treat the farmers with respect, whether they sign an easement agreement or not.
Jackson Forderer for MPR News
“We’ve had a lot of conversations and heard from a lot of groups and individuals who want to make sure the state gets this process right,” said Commissioner Chair Katie Sieben. “With this being Minnesota’s first carbon pipeline, the Commission wants to make sure we set a process that is thorough, transparent and protective.”
An EIS comprehensively describes and analyzes a project that has the potential to have significant environmental impacts. It also allows opportunities for public comment.
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In a statement released after the vote Summit Carbon Solutions said it had already secured nearly 4,000 easements for the pipeline, representing 57 percent of the proposed route.
“It is clear that farmers, stakeholders and others welcome this critical investment in our infrastructure” the statement continued. “They did this because this project will open new economic opportunities for ethanol producers, strengthen the agricultural market for farmers, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We look forward to to continue working with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to answer their questions, advance this project and help the state realize these broad public benefits.
Representatives from groups concerned about the project including Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) welcomed the PUC’s order for an EIS.
“I think the PUC made the right decision, and we think it’s the only legal thing they could have done,” said PEER staff attorney Hudson Kingston. “So, they did a very good job in ordering [environmental impact study]. That will allow people, the public to participate, to understand about these projects and get their input on the record.
Sarah Mooradian, CURE’s government relations and policy director expressed disappointment that the commission denied a citizen petition calling for a review of the entire project proposal. However, he said the commission could expand the scope of the environmental study.
“The timeline isn’t as fast as I’m sure some people would like, but it’s to make sure all the Ts are crossed and I’m dotted,” Mooradian said. “I think it’s really the right call. It’s a big enough project, a new enough project, that it needs to go through the full EIS process. My hope is that it doesn’t end up like first check mark for all the CO2 pipelines. I think it will give us a lot more information, Minnesotans, the Commission, about what these projects are where they are, you know, what they can do its effect.
