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Summit reaches land deals on more than half of CO2 pipeline route

Summit Carbon Solutions' proposed map of pipelines through eastern South Dakota
Submitted
Summit Carbon Solutions' proposed map of pipelines through eastern South Dakota

Summit Carbon Solutions has reached easement agreements with more than half of the landowners on the route of its proposed CO2 pipeline across the Midwest.

That’s according to a press release from the company issued Tuesday.

Summit’s CEO Lee Blank said the company has agreements with nearly 2,100 landowners totaling more than $200 million in payouts.

The pipeline would take CO2 from ethanol plants across the Upper Midwest and store it underground in North Dakota as part of an effort to make the plants more environmentally friendly.

It would be around 2,000 miles long. Summit’s land deals grant the company access to slightly more than half of that route.

Roughly 469 miles of the pipeline would run underneath South Dakota, stretching from Lincoln County to McPherson County.

Summit has reached deals accounting for 49% of the route within the state. That's less than Iowa (56%), Minnesota (55%), and North Dakota (53%), but more than Nebraska (46%).

Some landowners have raised concerns over safety and the potential use of eminent domain. Several county commissions have passed moratoriums blocking new pipelines from being constructed.

Josh Chilson is the news director at South Dakota Public Broadcasting. A Florence, S.D. native, Josh graduated with a journalism degree from South Dakota State University. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and videographer, and most recently as managing editor for Dakota News Now. Josh is based out of SDPB's Sioux Falls studio.
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