(The Center Square) – The Iowa Utilities Board ended eight weeks of hearings on a proposed carbon pipeline that will traverse through the state with more than 7,600 filings in almost 2,000 regular exhibits and 200 hearing exhibits, making it the longest hearing in the history of the board.
Summit Carbon Solutions proposes a 2,000-mile pipeline crossing through Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska. About 720 miles of the $5.5 billion project will go through Iowa. Carbon dioxide emissions from 30 ethanol plants in the five states will be captured and sent to a storage facility in North Dakota.
“This project is generational and transformative, and will allow family farms to continue to operate for generations to come,” said Summit Carbon Solutions CEO Lee Blank in a statement on Thursday. “We look forward to continuing to partner with ethanol plants across our 5-state footprint to ensure the longevity of the industry as a whole.”
The next step is a briefing schedule, which the board said it will order. Once the briefs are filed, the board will deliberate. The board gave no timeline for a decision.
“We appreciate all those who sacrificed time, resources, and effort in participating in what the Board believes has been its most open and transparent hearing process,” IUB Chair Erik Helland said in a statement.
More than 100 affected homeowners spoke to the board during the 26 days of testimony. Summit waived its right to rebuttal, according to the IUB.
The board also agreed to add 83 days of comments that were filed before and through the hearing’s conclusion, according to a news release from the board.
South Dakota and North Dakota regulators rejected the pipeline. The North Dakota Public Utilities Board is allowing Summit to reapply.
