Landowners express concerns about pipelines at Hartley meeting

Farmers and landowners gathered at the Hartley American Legion on Saturday to share concerns and information about two controversial pipelines that would affect O'Brien and Clay counties.

Citing safety concerns and a lack of need, those in attendance were overwhelmingly against the pipelines, which would carry compressed carbon dioxide from Midwest ethanol plants to sequestration sites in North Dakota and Illinois. The goal of the projects is to lessen ethanol's carbon footprint on the environment, in turn making the alternative fuel a more viable energy source long-term.

Hartley farmer Dave Rossman organized the meeting. Though he supports the ethanol industry and sells grain to Valero in Hartley, he was opposed to the pipelines for a variety of reasons.

"Playing devil's advocate, sometimes you wonder if this whole thing was dreamed up in a back room," he told the crowd.

O'Brien and Clay counties would be affected by two pipelines if the projects receive approval from the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB).

Summit Carbon Solutions and Navigator CO2 Ventures are proposing two separate projects that would cross through different parts of the area. Summit's line would run east and west traversing through O'Brien County between Primghar and Paullina, and east and west through Clay County just south of Royal but slightly north of the communities of Rossie, Greenville and Gillett Grove. Navigator's line would intersect with itself near Hartley with lines coming into O'Brien County from the northern and southern parts of Clay County.

The proximity to Hartley was a huge safety concern for those in attendance. CO2 is an asphyxiant at concentrated levels and could create a noxious plume if a pipeline were to break. Citing a broken CO2 line near in Satartia, Miss., that sent 45 people to the hospital in 2020, local landowner Steve Taylor said the risk to the City With a Heart was grave if Navigator's line breaks and the wind is from the south or southeast.

"They don't want to talk about safety," he said. "How many days are there in a year with [no wind]? They're not admitting the hazards of it."

The pipeline companies at previous public meetings have said the infrastructure is safe and will follow safety protocol to mitigate risk. However, opponents have scoffed at the promises and pleaded for more regulation.

Last month a consortium of carbon capture pipeline opponents demanded federal regulators place a moratorium on construction, saying current safeguards are inadequate to protect people who live near the projects. According to a report in the Des Moines Register, about three-dozen environmental, public health and tribal groups asked the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to call for a delay in action on state carbon capture pipeline permits until the agency establishes new safety guidelines. PHMSA said in May it would seek new rules for carbon dioxide pipelines, and Taylor suspected Navigator and Summit were trying to push their projects through now in the hopes of being "grandfathered in" once new guidelines are established.

Currently, both projects are in the process of collecting land easements with property owners to construct the lines. Both Summit and Navigator are seeking to be deemed of "public use" by the IUB, which would allow the companies to use eminent domain procedures to access private land.

Other individuals at the Hartley meeting spoke on the pipeline's potential tax impact and shared tips on how to deal with land agents and easements. While the process can be daunting, Rossman said landowners should contact their attorney with questions before signing on the dotted line.

Rossman also encouraged people to file letters with IUB whether they were opposed to the pipelines or supported them. Letters can be submitted electronically online.

"If you do not file a letter of objection, the utilities board assumes you're in favor of it," he said.

No representatives from either Navigator or Summit were present at the meeting nor were they invited, Rossman noted.