<div>In recent years, there have been lots of proposals for new carbon dioxide pipelines tied to a technology called carbon capture and storage. It's an effort to blunt the impact of climate change. A proposed pipeline in the Midwest would be one of the country's largest designated for carbon capture.SCOTT DETROW, HOST: There are more than 3 million pipelines in the United States that transport natural gas, crude oil, and hazardous liquids underground. In recent years, there have been a lot of proposals for new carbon dioxide pipelines tied to a technology called carbon capture and storage. It's a technology that, in theory, can address climate change. One of the largest proposed pipelines is in the Midwest, as Harvest Public Media's Rachel Cramer reports.RACHEL CRAMER, BYLINE: Marjorie Swan and her sister own about 600 acres of farmland in northern Iowa. They drive past green fields of corn and soybeans.MARJORIE SWAN: This farm is third generation for us, too. This was our grandfather's.CRAMER: After one of the mile markers, Swan points from the fence line to the horizon. Summit Carbon Solutions wants to bury a pipeline here as part of a 2,500-mile network in the Midwest. Their goal is to capture CO2 emissions from nearly 60 ethanol plants, half of which are in Iowa, transport it through South Dakota, and store it underground in North Dakota. Some supporters say this plan would help the country meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. Summit CEO Lee Blank says that's not the motivation of the company.LEE BLANK: We don't argue climate change, but ultimately there are many people that do believe in it, and those people that believe in climate change are willing to pay additional premiums for products that are lower carbon or carbon responsible.CRAMER: This summer, Iowa's utility regulators approved Summit's initial permit application and the right to use eminent domain on properties where landowners don't sign voluntary easements. That was tough news for Swan to hear after three years of fighting the pipeline.SWAN: I just got a big knot in my stomach. I just kind of like - really? But now, after finding out more things, it's not over (laughter). It's definitely not over.CRAMER: That's because the fight in Iowa is expected to shift more into the courts in the coming months and because Summit needs permits in both North and South Dakota before construction can begin in Iowa.JIMMY POWELL: We feel confident that we'll get our permits.CRAMER: That's Summit COO Jimmy Powell. He says Summit is trying to accommodate landowners without using eminent domain.POWELL: We're spending a lot of time working with landowners, trying to make sure that they feel informed and then, if they feel comfortable signing an agreement, which three-quarters of the landowners have, then they do.CRAMER: In South Dakota, summit needs to reapply for a route permit after state regulators denied its first application. In North Dakota, state officials are expected to decide whether to grant summit permits later this fall. North Dakota rancher Kurt Swenson is part of the Northwest Landowners Association, which is suing North Dakota over underground storage laws. His land sits atop part of the geological formation, where up to 18 million tons of carbon dioxide could be stored each year, whether he and his family agree to it or not.KURT SWENSON: Ultimately, we will not let this project of sequestration move forward with Summit until they treat landowners in a constitutional manner, the way that they deserve to be treated. And right now, they are not doing that.CRAMER: Shannon Roesler, a law professor at the University of Iowa, says the opposition to CO2 pipelines is part of a bigger trend around recent large-scale infrastructure projects.SHANNON ROESLER: These tax credits that are providing this incentives to do this now were part of landmark climate legislation, along with a lot of other things that people in local communities didn't really deliberate.CRAMER: One place they will deliberate is in South Dakota. Voters will decide in November whether a new state law that could lower the bar for permits for pipeline companies will stand. For NPR News, I'm Rachel Cramer in Ames, Iowa.Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.</div>

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Proposed Midwest carbon capture pipeline is stirring controversy

In recent years, there have been lots of proposals for new carbon dioxide pipelines tied to a technology called carbon capture and storage. It's an effort to blunt the impact of climate change. A proposed pipeline in the Midwest would be one of the country's largest designated for carbon capture.

Proposed Midwest carbon capture pipeline is stirring controversy

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