Carrie Moritz, Garretson Gazette
On Tuesday, an informational meeting was held at the American Legion by Navigator CO2 Ventures. The infrastructure company has a proposal to place a pipeline in the Garretson and Valley Springs area which would transfer liquified carbon dioxide (CO2) from an ethanol plant near Brookings to a sequestration site in Illinois.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), carbon dioxide is the most commonly produced greenhouse gas. Ethanol plants and fertilizer plants are using sequestration as a way to become "carbon neutral," which means they don't release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The meeting, which had over 130 attendees despite being scheduled over the noon hour on a weekday, gave a very wide overview of the $3 billion dollar project, first explaining what the pipeline would be doing, and then going over a few of the environmental benefits and safety concerns.
The pipeline will be covering area in eastern South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois with over 1,300 miles of pipe underground. It will ultimately reduce CO2 by 15 million metric tons annually, equivalent to 18.3 million acres of forest.
The proposed pipeline route in the Garretson area would travel west of Garretson by approximately two miles, cross just south of Palisades State Park, and continue south to Valley Springs, where it will travel a mile west of that town.
CO2 sequestration is the process of dehydrating and pressurizing excess carbon dioxide until it becomes liquified, and the liquid is then pumped far underground into rocky formations in order to store it long term. Once it is in the rocky formation, the CO2 mineralizes into carbon rock.
Navigator stated their sequestration will be more than a mile underground in Illinois, and a mile beneath any critical water with a caprock shelf above to prevent any seepage of carbon dioxide. They also pointed out their pipelines will be a minimum of five feet below ground to prevent temperature changes, and that their pipes are coated to prevent corrosion and regularly serviced. They also reimburse landowners for 240% of crop yield loss within the first two years, and are financially responsible for any future yield loss, even if it's 44 years from now.
While the company representatives stated this project was in its very early stages, there was no formal question and answer session after the initial presentation. This lack of transparency caused several attendees to turn their opinion against the project.
"It makes me smell a rat," stated landowner Oran Sorenson. He pointed out that the company had a chance to win him over with that meeting, but used a "divide and conquer" technique that prevented democratization of the process.
"I just don't have enough information yet," said landowner Arnold "Arny" Erickson. "If this project is government funded, I'd rather they came up with programs to sequester locally."
Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, a representative of Navigator, stated the local geology doesn't work for sequestration. The USGS states that storage basin areas are based on permeability of the rock, and that the Illinois basin is one of 36 in the United States (others are mainly along the southern coastal plains and in the Rocky Mountain regions). Dakota News Now recently noted that POET is coming up with alternatives to sequestration, including finding ways of using CO2 commercially. Ethanol and fertilizer companies pay a fee to the pipeline companies to use the pipeline, which benefits the producers in the form of tax breaks in becoming carbon neutral.
The information from the USGS was not found within the informational portion of the meeting, and attendees were dissatisfied with the lack of answers.
"I have lots of questions, and not enough answers," said farmer Tony Martens. His mother, Margie, who was also in attendance, owns land that is along the proposed project. "It would take our most viable land."
Another attendee, who gave his name as Ross and said he lived southwest of Garretson, said initial offers were $3 per acre (this information is unverified by the Gazette). He also pointed out that he wanted more information than he received in the meeting, such as whether the company was selling his carbon credits.
The power point provided by the company, which can be found at http://heartlandgreenway.com, stated that the carbon tax credits remained with the local plant and did not mention anything about carbon credits of individual landowners.
There was also talk of eminent domain, which appears to be a possibility with this project if landowners refuse to grant land easements. South Dakota's eminent domain process tends to lean heavily in favor of the industries and not individuals.
Navigator representative Vidal Rosa assured individuals after the meeting that they prefer to start with the landowner and to not use eminent domain. Burns-Thompson stated the company always acknowledges it's the landowner's land, and they do compensate for any land loss.
Without more information, though, "it's hard to know where they're coming from," said Erickson.
"They make it seem like it's all environmental," said one attendee, who identified herself as Jessica Deering. She wore a shirt that said "No sequestration, no eminent domain" and stated she was part of a group that was working against the pipeline. She pointed out the potential health risks and the lack of public benefit that she perceived. She was also concerned about eminent domain use with an industry that wasn't a public utility.
The main health risks with CO2 pipelines center around potential leaks. The pipeline will be transmitting liquefied CO2 at 1200 psi, which means a leak could be catastrophic in an area. In February 2020, a pipeline containing CO2 mixed with hydrogen sulfide exploded near Satartia, Mississippi and covered the area in a noxious green gas, causing convulsions, confusion, and unconsciousness.
While this is a risk with the pipelines, Burns-Thompson pointed out that the company is doing what it can to mitigate those risks. They don't allow digging, buildings or trees to be planted within the pipeline's right-of-way, which is approximately 25 feet on each side of the pipes. The company also states their pipes are coated externally to protect against corrosion, valves are placed strategically to allow the company to operate the pipeline safely, and the lines are monitored regularly by both a leak-detection system and physically.
Martens pointed out that he didn't know where those valves were even going to be, and worried whether it'd be on their land. He was hopeful the representative would be able to drill down specifically to his area and give some answers.
Navigator literature states that the pipeline does benefit the area economically, providing property tax revenue for communities along the route for the life of the project and increasing the viability and competitiveness of biofuels, along with jobs while the pipeline is being built.
However, it appeared the lack of answers and transparency with the audience at large most impacted attendee's opinions of the project, most of which were either bordering on confusion or rejection of the project outright.
The company intends to continue conversations with landowners, and will be releasing more economic data at the end of January/beginning of February on its website. A virtual meeting is also scheduled for Tuesday, January 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Those interested in attending on-line can visit http://heartlandgreenway.com/elementor-11873/ to register.
Update 1/19/22: The published version of the article incorrectly spelled Jessica Deering's name. This has been corrected.
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