(The Center Square) – The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission began several days of hearings over a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline traveling through 112 miles of the state.
The pipeline will travel through Brookings, Moody, Minnehaha, Lincoln and Turner counties, according to the application from Navigator CO2.
The project is supported by several unions that say the pipeline would bring hundreds of jobs to the state. Mike Mikich of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada said his workers could log about 16,500 manpower hours. The estimated earnings are more than $1 million in wages and benefits.
Landowners are opposed to the project.
“This proposed project is 112 miles of disruption and destruction of the very way of life of thousands of South Dakotans,” said Brian Jorde, an attorney representing landowners in the pipeline’s path during the hearing. “It will have a negative economic impact on their farming and ranching and other businesses.”
Opposition mounted against Navigator’s project and a separate carbon dioxide pipeline proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions. An evidentiary hearing on the Summit project is set for September.
“Our request is that this docket be decided on the evidence, not on politics, not on speculation, not on fear but on the evidence that will be presented in the hearing,” James Moore, an attorney for Navigator, said in his opening statement. “There has been a lot of public comment about this docket. There has been a lot of opposition and countless articles in the media and lots of questions. And we welcome the opportunity during the course of this proceeding to respond to those questions and those concerns.”
Jorde, who represents landowners for both projects, said farmers don’t want the pipelines.
“The project likes to speak about the importance to farmers,” Jorde said. “Not a single farmer is here to testify to that fact. Not a single farmer is here on the Navigator witness list to talk about that or support that allegation. It’s not important to farmers.”
Navigator applied for the permit on Sept. 27 of last year. The law requires the commission to decide on a permit in a year.
“I think we are planning on a decision point the first week of September because it takes us time to write the order in order to comply with the statute,” PUC Chairman Chris Nelson said.
The evidentiary hearing runs through Thursday and resumes on Monday.
