Iowa landowners have lots of questions at pipeline informational meetings

Summit Carbon Solutions began meetings this week as a first step toward applying for a construction permit. The permit would allow the carbon capture and sequestration company to begin construction on an expanded pipeline through Southwest Iowa.

• Pipeline opponents, like Jessica Mazour of the Sierra Club, say based on a study they conducted of another ethanol plant, the project will use an additional three billion gallons of water per year.
• Pipeline supporters, such as the Iowa Corn Growers Association, say that carbon capture and sequestration will allow corn ethanol to be used in sustainable aviation fuel, a boost to their industry.
• LIST OF INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS | SummitCarbonSolutions.com
• RELATED | CO2 PIPELINES: Iowa woman keeps jar of soil from grandmother's farm as reminder during eminent domain fight
• READ MORE | BOOST TO CORN GROWERS: Sustainable Aviation Fuel tax credit now includes corn ethanol

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Eminent Domain, water rights, crop yields, taxes, safety: all subjects raised when Southwest Iowans talk about carbon capture pipelines.

I'm your neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel.

Summit Carbon Solutions is holding a series of information meetings in Iowa counties where it hopes to build an expansion of its CO2 pipelines. The meetings are required by the Iowa Utilities Commission, a first step towards getting construction permits.

This week, neighbors in Adams, Montgomery and Guthrie Counties asked Summit representatives questions for several hours.

Opponents have five main concerns:

• Use of Eminent Domain to benefit a private company
• Impact on the land
• The tax credits going to pipelines
• Pipeline safety
• Water Usage

Montgomery County landowner Jan Norris points to a community that already has a low water supply: "As you may be familiar with Shenandoah, they have been on water restrictions for a couple of years now ... Which leaves a lot of people questioning, how can we possibly increase water demand for something that's not consumable by the public?"

A spokeswoman for Summit told me that water usage at ethanol plants will increase by no more than ten percent.

Pipeline opponents, like Jessica Mazour of the Sierra Club, say based on a study they conducted of another ethanol plant, the project will use three-billion more gallons a year.

"We have concerns because Iowa has never done a comprehensive study of our deep bedrock aquifers. We don't know how much water is down there, we don't know how quickly we're pumping it out. We don't know how long it's going to last," said Mazour.

Summit points out that before it can use more water the Iowa Department of Natural Resources must provide the permits.

Pipeline supporters, such as the Iowa Corn Growers Association, say that carbon capture and sequestration will allow corn ethanol to be used in sustainable aviation fuel, a boost to their industry.

Several more informational meetings are scheduled throughout Iowa, until September 20.