Stanton County, Nebraska Board Unanimously Denies Permit for Summit Carbon Pipeline

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 20, 2024
Contact:
Mark Hefflinger, Bold Alliance, mark@boldalliance.org

Stanton County Board Unanimously Denies Permit for Summit Carbon Pipeline

Tuesday’s public hearing included pointed questions from Commissioners on Summit’s foreign co-owners and investors, passionate testimony from impacted landowners opposed to the dangerous project

Stanton, NE – The Stanton County, Nebraska Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to deny a permit application request from Summit Carbon Solutions for its proposed CO2 pipeline that would travel through the county, following a packed public hearing where landowners testified against the dangerous project. Meanwhile, the Dakota County, Nebraska Planning Board also put the brakes on Summit’s request for a permit to construct, moving during its Tuesday meeting to table the company’s permit application until April 16th.

The public hearing on Summit’s application for “conditional use permits” (CUP) to build the pipeline through Stanton County included testimony from landowners concerned about safety in the event of a pipeline rupture, like what happened in Satartia, MS in 2020 when hundreds were evacuated and dozens hospitalized, some still reporting adverse health impacts to this day.

Doug Huttman, Commissioner for District 1, stated during the hearing that not one landowner had come forward to support the pipeline, adding that he was still receiving text messages from landowners during the meeting.

Huttman also addressed safety, requesting a CO2 plume dispersion model that could show where CO2 might flow after a rupture and help inform landowners and the community, but a Summit representative said that could only be provided to Board members in secret.

Commissioners questioned Summit about foreign owners and investors as well, stating they do not want foreign countries or investors owning the easements, and they needed to know before anything could be approved.

At the conclusion of the public hearing, the Stanton County Board voted unanimously to deny Summit’s permit application. In Nebraska, where no state agency has claimed authority over carbon dioxide pipelines, county boards and landowners are left to fend for themselves in negotiations with these corporations backed by potentially billions in federal tax credits.

“I want it to be advertised that counties, or at least one, as of now was presented with this decision and denied it – unanimously denied,” said Stanton County landowner (and Nebraska Easement Action Team landowners’ legal co-op member) Justin Kennedy. “Not one landowner has come forward saying he wants this pipeline.”

“This proves that landowners and concerned citizens need to pay attention to what their county’s commissioners or supervisors and zoning boards are doing. In Stanton County, the landowners and citizens were very concerned about this hazardous pipeline and contacted the commissioners by phone, email and text in order to show their opposition, which led to a Commissioner stating, “not one landowner has come forward in support of this pipeline,” said Shelli Meyer, landowner organizer with Bold Alliance’s Nebraska Easement Action Team whose family’s land is on the proposed CO2 pipeline route. “This proves that when you show up or speak up for what you want – or don’t want – which sometimes is more important, the commissioners are overwhelmed with your input and it makes a huge difference.”

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Northeast News Channel Nebraska