The Greene County Board of Supervisors approved Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn to file a petition with the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) to intervene on behalf of the county regarding the proposed hazardous liquid pipeline permit. Summit Carbon Solutions has applied for a permit to build pipeline extensions to transport liquefied carbon dioxide through Iowa to North Dakota for permanent underground sequestration. This process is nearly four years in the making, with the IUC granting a permit for the extended route with some stipulations of a $100 million general liability insurance policy and obtaining route approvals from North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska. The IUC has granted Summit Carbon the right of eminent domain over specific parcels if permit is approved. Laehn says this petition is part of an application process that needs approval from the IUC to grant Greene County to intervene.
Audio PlayerWith the petition filed, Laehn says it shows the IUC that Greene County has a cognizable interest in the outcome of the permit application. The Board of Supervisors have previously filed an objection to the construction of the pipeline and continues to oppose the project for many reasons.
Audio PlayerLaehn says Summit Carbon Solutions is a private corporation that is attempting to use the state’s powers for financial gain, which is not how eminent domain was meant to be implemented.
Audio PlayerWhile the Greene County Board of Supervisors does not have a say in whether the permit is issued and the pipeline can be constructed, Laehn says this petition is one step in the long process of having the IUC object to the permit and stop the project.
