Hartley council delays decision on pipeline easement

The Hartley City Council on Monday punted a decision on whether to allow a carbon dioxide pipeline company to build on city-owned land.

City Attorney Brandon Krikke said he needs more time to review documents from Navigator CO2, whose Heartland Greenland pipeline would travel through the city's old airport property south of town. The city currently leases the ground to Brent Rieck.

Krikke needs to determine if the pipeline's construction could affect the city's lease agreement with Rieck, if at all.

"There's just some things I'll need a little bit more information on from my perspective," Krikke told the council. "I need a little bit more time on this."

The pipeline would total 1,300 miles – including around 800 miles in Iowa – and transport compressed liquid CO2 from Midwest ethanol plants to an underground sequestration site in Illinois. It would connect to the Valero Renewables plant in Hartley and cross itself southwest of town. In all, Heartland Greenland would have 63.12 miles of line in O'Brien County.

The goal of the pipeline is to reduce the carbon footprint of Midwest ethanol plants, in turn leaving markets open in states that are more aggressive on reducing consumption of fossil fuels, which is blended with ethanol.

Four pipeline representatives were on hand Monday to field questions from council members. Public Affairs Manager Tracie Gibler said there was no hard completion date set for the pipeline, as Navigator won't receive a decision from the Iowa Utilities Board until next year.

Gibler said a recent decision by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission to deny Navigator's permit application there has no bearing on its plans in the Hawkeye State. She noted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) will hold a hearing on the company's application there next month.

Mayor Rodney Ahrenstorff asked if the project would be shelved completely if the ICC nixes Navigator's proposal to sequester CO2 in Illinois. The sequestration site features unique underground geological formations that would allow liquid carbon to be piped below, where it would then solidify.

"We're not crossing that bridge. I'm not of the pay grade to answer," said Gibler. "It's our sequestration site. We would have to have some serious conversations."

Gibler said Navigator remains committed to obtaining voluntary land easements from property owners whose land is affected by the pipeline.

"We're doing everything asked of us by all the regulatory agencies," she said. "We're optimistic that we'll keep marching forward."