.Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

With the Iowa Utilities Commission giving approval of a construction permit, with added conditions attached, for the first phase of an underground pipeline proposed project, one US Senator is weighing in. 

US Senator Joni Ernst disagrees with the IUC allowing Summit Carbon Solutions to use eminent domain as a way to obtain the last stretch of easements from landowners to build an underground liquid carbon dioxide capture pipeline from ethanol plants and store it in an underground facility in North Dakota.  

“I am not okay with eminent domain, not for a project like this. I think that these companies, if they really do want to run this pipeline, they better be working really, really hard with the landowners, or find another way of doing it.”   

While Summit has not been given approval in any of the other four Midwest states that it proposes with the project, including Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Minnesota, the company has also filed for its permit for the second phase, which includes Greene and Guthrie Counties. Summit has scheduled an open house for November 7th from 7-9am at the Greene County ISU Extension Office meeting room in Jefferson as a come and go session for the public to learn more about the safety aspects of the project. Click here to see the filings and documents with the docket for Greene and Guthrie Counties