Navigator Pipeline Permit Denied

OMAHA (DTN) -- Carbon pipelines continue to struggle to gain approval from state regulators.

As first reported by South Dakota media, the state's three-person Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday unanimously voted against a permit application by Navigator CO2 to build a carbon pipeline across five counties in the southeast corner of the state.

The South Dakota commission also declined a request by Navigator to limit rules a county could place on setbacks. Multiple counties have passed ordinances to increase the distances between carbon pipelines and schools and other buildings, the South Dakota Searchlight reported.

In a statement to DTN, executives from Navigator said the company will consider its course of action in South Dakota.

"While we are disappointed with the recent decision to deny our permit application in South Dakota, our company remains committed to responsible infrastructure development," Navigator executives stated. "We will evaluate the written decision of the Public Utilities Commission once issued and determine our course of action in South Dakota thereafter. Our commitment to environmental stewardship and safety remains unwavering, and we will continue to pursue our permitting processes in the other regions we operate in."

Navigator's 1,300-mile pipeline would include about 111 miles in South Dakota. The pipeline, called Hartland Greenway, would link up at least three ethanol plants in South Dakota, as well as two in Nebraska and one in Minnesota, as well as 14 ethanol plants across Iowa that would send carbon to sink into a geological formation in Illinois. South Dakota held hearings on the Navigator permit in late July and early August. Navigator has not gotten a date set for its Iowa hearing.

Navigator's permit denial in South Dakota comes a month after Navigator's pipeline competitor, Summit Carbon Solutions, was rejected by the North Dakota Public Service Commission in its quest to build a pipeline stretching from Iowa to North Dakota where Summit plans to sink its carbon. Summit's permit hearing in South Dakota is scheduled to start next week.

Summit already is in the middle of a hearing before the Iowa Utilities Board for a permit in that state. It's unclear as of now how long the Iowa Utilities Board will continue that hearing on Summit's request there. The Iowa Capitol Dispatch reported Summit's chief operating officer, James Powell, said the pipeline will not be built in Iowa if they do not eventually get a permit in North Dakota.

See https://heartlandgreenway.com/…

Also see, "Summit Carbon Pipeline Faces Another Crucial Test With Hearings in Iowa," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com
Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ChrisClaytonDTN

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