Pondering another pipeline

Landowners in O'Brien and Clay counties will soon be able to learn more about a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline that would impact Iowa and four other states.

O'Brien County residents are invited to an informational meeting about the project on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at Crossroads Pavilion Event Center in Sheldon, while Clay County's meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 13 at the Clay County Event Center. Both events kick off at noon. The gatherings will be hosted by the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) and representatives from Navigator Heartland Greenway LLC, the firm behind the project.

Locally, the pipeline would impact several areas in O'Brien County, as it intersects with itself southwest of Hartley. Clay County would have two separate Navigator lines running through it in the northwest and southwest corners.

Landowner meetings are required to be held in every county impacted by the project, which has yet to be approved or denied by the IUB. If built, the pipeline would span approximately 1,300 miles across Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. The system would capture carbon dioxide at ethanol facilities, convert it to liquid form and transfer the liquefied CO2 to a permanent underground sequestration site in central Illinois near Taylorville.

Locally, Valero's ethanol plant in Hartley is a part of the project. Other partners haven't been made public.

"The Heartland Greenway carbon capture system will initially be servicing nearly 20 emission sources across the project footprint, anchored by Valero's facilities in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota," said company spokesman Andy Bates. "Navigator CO2 Ventures respects the decision of its counterparties to remain confidential until their own public disclosures are made regarding their involvement with the system. We would expect those over the coming weeks and months."

The goal of the pipeline is to reduce emissions at participating ethanol facilities using carbon-capture technology. According to Navigator, liquefied CO2 will be permanently injected approximately a mile underground beneath thick layers of rock at the sequestration site with continued monitoring. After injection, the CO2 will remain trapped beneath the caprock and begin to dissolve and mineralize.

Navigator will need to acquire land easements from property owners along the route. IUB's approval of the project would allow the company to use eminent domain procedures if easements aren't signed voluntarily. Navigator's project is the second proposed CO2 pipeline that would affect O'Brien and Clay counties – Summit Carbon Solutions is also hoping to get a line approved by the IUB that would traverse through both counties.

Attendees at the meetings can ask questions about the project and will be informed about landowners' rights. Written comments or objections to the pipeline can be filed electronically using the IUB's Open Docket Comment Form, by email to [email protected], or by postal mail to the Iowa Utilities Board, Attn: Docket No. HLP-2021-0003, 1375 E. Court Ave., Des Moines, IA 50319.