Say NO to CO2 pipeline projects proposed in Iowa!
Iowans across the state are fighting carbon dioxide pipelines. We are joined with citizens in our neighboring states. And we are winning the battles.
Iowans have been fighting against carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline proposals that are centered around Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). CCS is very complicated but when you boil it down, the basic premise is that it captures the carbon dioxide and stores it underground (CCS) or it captures the carbon dioxide and uses it for industrial purposes, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS).
CO2 Pipelines Proposed in Iowa:
Summit Carbon Solutions, aka Bruce Rastetter’s CO2 Pipeline. Summit's original proposal was to capture CO2 from ethanol plants in Iowa and pipe it up to North Dakota for permanent sequestration. However, in a news release dated May 13, 2026, Summit announced it would pipe capture CO2 from Iowa through Nebraska to Wyoming for Enhanced Oil Recovery or permanent sequestration. However, Summit has not filed those changes with the IUC. Map below shows the most recent Summit route filed with the IUC, and does not include the 5/13/26 announced changes.
To learn more, you can read below or jump to items that interest you:
- Status and Overview of the Proposed CO2 Pipeline Projects
- Why we're opposed
- View Objections, Ordinances, and other local action
- Take Action Now!
- Resources
- Archive of older material
Status and Overview of the Proposed CO2 Pipeline Projects
- Summit Carbon Solutions - Summit Carbon Solutions was co-founded by Bruce Rastetter and is based out of Ames, Iowa. Summit is proposing to build a carbon dioxide pipeline across Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and possibly Wyoming. Summit would capture Carbon Dioxide from ethanol plants, including 27 in Iowa, and transport the CO2 to Wyoming or North Dakota where the CO2 will be stored underground or used for Enhanced Oil Recovery.
- Summit Carbon Solutions Phase 1 - Summit applied for its Phase 1 route in 2021. Governor Reynold’s hand-picked Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) approved Summit’s Phase 1 route in late spring 2024, despite overwhelming opposition and strong legal arguments. Five parties have filed suit in District Court against the IUC to overturn the approval.
- Summit Carbon Solutions Phase 2 - In late 2023, Summit added new POET and Valero ethanol plants to its proposed footprint and opened up 15 new expansion dockets in 2023 and 2024. Summit completed the informational meetings for the proposed Phase 2 route in September 2024 and began filing petitions in the Phase 2 dockets in October 2024. Impacted landowners on Summit’s Phase 2 route should view the resources guide below for more information on your rights and how to join the Iowa Easement Team. [Note: on May 13, 2026 Summit announced that it would drop the 2023 Phase 2 docket known as the "Absolute Energy" docket but has not filed a withdrawal with the IUC.]
Summit Drops 200 Miles Of Pipeline Route
Summit suffered a major blow in May when it dropped 4 ethanol plants and 200 miles of route. There is still a lot of work to do to make sure Summit’s project gets fully canceled but this victory would not have happened without relentless work for the last 5 years from Sierra Club members and impacted Iowans.
Summit’s changes show us that they are still a pipeline to nowhere and they have uncertainty in where their pipeline is going and what the CO2 will be used for - sequestration or Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR).
This isn’t the only change Summit is trying to make to its pipeline route - Summit is asking Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) to make significant changes and decisions to fast track their carbon pipeline project.
We appealed to the District Court to overturn IUC approval of Summit’s Phase 1 route, which was approved in 2024 with conditions. One big condition is that Summit must have approval in South Dakota before beginning construction in Iowa. That created a huge problem for Summit when South Dakota rejected Summit’s proposal twice and banned eminent domain for carbon pipelines. Right before we were scheduled to head to court in our appeal of the Phase 1 route, Summit asked for major changes, including:
- Amendments to the Phase 1 permit: pipe size changes, route changes and removal of the South Dakota condition
- Consolidation of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 dockets
- Fast tracking approval of the Phase 2 routes
- Asked the District Court Judge to remand the case back to IUC to make the above decisions
The District Court Judge remanded the case back to the IUC and we are now waiting for the IUC to make a decision on Summit’s ridiculous requests. The fact is that Summit’s initial project no longer exists. It has changed significantly from a carbon pipeline to capture CO2 and ship it up to North Dakota to be permanently sequestered to a carbon pipeline capture CO2 to ship it to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what with the CO2. It’s time that Summit admits defeat and IUC revokes and denies Summit’s permit and dockets.
We are winning!!!
- South Dakota PUC denied Navigator's pipeline permit
- South Dakota PUC upheld the County Zoning Ordinances
- North Dakota PSC denied Summit's pipeline permit (Summit has asked for a reconsideration)
- South Dakota PUC denied Summit's pipeline permit
- Oliver County, ND voted no on two of Summit's injection wells
- Mercer County, ND denied five of Summit's road crossing permits
- Navigator puts permitting on hold in Iowa
- Summit puts DNR Air Quality and Wastewater permitting on hold in Iowa
- Oct. 20, 2023, Navigator canceled its Heartland Greenway carbon dioxide pipeline project.
- Wolf withdraws in Illinois after ICC staff recommend denial of the application
- Stanton County, Nebraska denied Summit a Conditional Use Permit
- Illinois ICC denied One Earth’s Energy carbon pipeline
- Illinois passed a 2-year moratorium on carbon sequestration among other carbon pipeline regulations
- South Dakota Supreme Court refused to decide if Summit is a common carrier
- South Dakota voters defeat RL21! RL21 would have blocked county zoning ordinances passed to protect citizens from Summit’s carbon pipeline.
- Wolf Carbon Solutions withdrew its application to build a pipeline in eastern Iowa.
- Summit drops four ethanol plants and 200 miles of it's route in Iowa
State Permitting Boards:
Note: July 1, 2024, the name of the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) was changed to the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC). On this webpage and in our materials, we have kept the IUB designation for events that happened before the name change. We are using the Iowa Utilities Commission on new items.
Why we are opposed
Carbon pipelines are bad for the environment.
We want real climate solutions, not greenwashing schemes! We must end our dependence on fossil fuels and invest in solar, wind, battery storage, conservation, and efficiency.
CCS for Summit carbon pipeline proposals are false climate solutions because:
- It does not address other emissions or forms of pollution from fossil fuel extraction and industrial agriculture
- It could allow for the extension of fossil fuel extraction through enhanced oil recovery
- Fails to acknowledge CO2 is incredibly dangerous and a pipeline leak or break could poison surrounding communities and first responders
- It will extend the life of the polluting ethanol industry and industrial agriculture practices that have contributed to our climate crisis, water pollution and more.
- CCS continues business as usual and delays investment in REAL climate solutions
"Water Woes: Uncovering the True Cost of Summit’s Carbon Capture Project" describes the water needs of CCS.
Summit Carbon Solutions is proposing carbon capture projects at 27 ethanol plants across Iowa. Locally, statewide and regionally, these projects threaten to deplete public water resources in our aquifers.
Water would be used in Summit’s operation to capture carbon dioxide at the ethanol plants for dewatering, dust control, hydrostatic testing, and to cool the carbon dioxide because compression of the carbon dioxide generates heat. The amount of water that would be needed for the production of ethanol and Summit’s proposed carbon capture projects far exceeds the water usage for communities in a 10-mile radius surrounding the plants.
Many water uses in Iowa like power generation, public water and irrigation use water from Iowa’s alluvial aquifers, which can recharge relatively quickly as compared to Iowa’s deep aquifers. 90% of the water used for ethanol production comes from Iowa’s deep aquifers which are in danger of not being adequately recharged.
Iowa’s water resources are not endless. If Iowa DNR continues to hand out water withdrawal permits like candy when Iowa has never done a comprehensive study to determine how much water we have, Iowa is facing a looming water crisis. As we will show in this report, that is what is happening now.
In order to protect Iowa’s water resources, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and any other water authority must deny any water usage permits for Summit Carbon Solutions and other water requests for carbon capture projects. There must be a thorough study on Iowa’s deep bedrock aquifers to understand how much water is available and how it should be allocated to ensure Iowans can meet water needs for humans, livestock and industries.
Read our full report and more, "Water Woes: Uncovering the True Cost of Summit's Carbon Pipeline ", [https://www.sierraclub.org/iowa/waterreport]
Waste of public tax dollars
Summit Carbon Solutions has admitted that they would not be proposing their pipeline project if it weren’t for the 45Q, 45Z and other tax incentives. The 45Q tax credit pays per ton of carbon dioxide sequestered or used for Enhanced Oil Recovery. Summit has not disclosed how much it expects to make from various tax incentive programs, but we believe it will far exceed $30 billion dollars, more than their upfront infrastructure costs.
Dangerous
Carbon Dioxide pipelines are incredibly dangerous and potentially deadly. CO2 is a toxicant and asphyxiant. It is heavier than air and displaces oxygen. Anyone in the area of CO2 pipeline rupture is in immediate danger.
A carbon pipeline in Satartia, Mississippi rupture in February 2020. The rupture sent 45 people to the hospital and over 300 were forced to evacuate. In response, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) did an investigation and determined that there are not adequate safety rules in place for CO2 pipelines. PHMSA is currently working on draft rules and regulations. In the meantime, Iowa should not move forward with any carbon pipeline proposal.
Threatens Land and Property Rights
Carbon pipeline construction damages farmland, rips out forests, endangers waterways and more. For this reason and more, landowners along the proposed routes do not want the Summit pipeline. If landowners refuse to sign voluntary easements, eminent domain will likely be used against them.
Eminent domain serves a purpose for things that are truly in the public benefit, like roads, bridges, water lines, etc. Eminent domain should not be used for dangerous, for-profit projects.
There are currently 848 unsigned parcels on Summit’s Phase 1 route alone. If eminent domain is forced on these landowners, it would be a precedent setting use of eminent domain in Iowa. Summit Phase 2 has not released numbers of easements signed, we believe those numbers to be very low.
View Objections, Ordinances, and other local action
Counties, cities and other local entities play an important role in protecting our communities from dangerous carbon pipelines. Objections are an easy way for a local entity to register their opposition with the IUC. We had dozens of counties, cities and local entities submit objections.
Another, more meaningful, thing your County Supervisors could do is pass a Zoning Ordinance with setback distances for how far the proposed pipeline can be from homes, schools, businesses, etc.
Check out our County Action Tracker to view where action has been taken, copies of ordinances and more.
Take Action Now!
- If you're a landowner who will be directly impacted by the pipeline, we encourage you not to sign a voluntary easement.
- If you are an impacted landowner, email jessica.mazour@sierraclub.org for information to get involved in the landowner opposition Group
- Sign up for weekly carbon pipeline opposition newsletter
- Sign up for our monthly Sierra Club Newsletter
- Watch our Lunch & Learns on Facebook on Fridays at noon.
- Submit an objection to the Iowa Utility Board to ask them not to grant a permit to Summit. Click this link and find the docket that you wish to object to. Below is a list of the current IUB dockets for Summit. You can submit as many objections as you’d like throughout the process and we encourage you to do so.
Docket Number | Applicant Name | Ethanol Plant | Counties | Initial Docket Filing w/ County Maps |
HLP-2021-0001 | Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC | Original Route [Note: on 5/13/26 Summit announced plans to drop portions of the route in Shelby, Pottawattamie, Montgomery, Adams, Page, Fremont, Emmet, Sioux, Crawford] | Fremont, Page, Montgomery, Pottawattamie, Shelby, Crawford, Ida, Cherokee, O'brien, Plymouth, Sioux, Woodbury, Lyon, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Palo Alto, Kossuth, Hancock, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Chicksaw, Wright, Franklin, Hardin, Story, Webster, Green |
|
HLP-2023-0004 | Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC | Absolute Energy [Note: on 5/13/26 Summit announced plans to drop this entire docket] | Mitchell, Floyd |
|
HLP-2024-0001 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | POET - Fairbank and Shell Rock, IAL-501, IAT-401 | Bremer, Butler, Fayette, Floyd | |
HLP-2024-0002 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | POET - Iowa Falls and Jewell, IAL-502, IAL-503 | Hamilton, Hardin | |
HLP-2024-0003 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | Valero - Fort Dodge and POET - Gowrie, IAL-504, 505 | Webster | |
HLP-2024-0004 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | POET - Coon Rapids and Menlo, IAL-506, 507 | Green, Guthrie | |
HLP-2024-0005 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | POET - Arthur, IAL-508 | Ida | |
HLP-2024-0006 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | POET - Corning, IAL-509 | Adams, Montgomery | |
HLP-2024-0007 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | POET - Hudson, IAL-510 | Sioux | |
HLP-2024-0008 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | Valero - Charles City, IAT-402 | Floyd | |
HLP-2024-0009 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | POET - Hanlontown, IAL-516 | Mitchell, Worth | |
HLP-2024-0010 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | Valero - Lakota, IAT-404 | Hancock, Kossuth | |
HLP-2024-0011 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | POET - Emmetsburg, IAT-405 | Palo Alto | |
HLP-2024-0012 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | Valero - Albert City, IAT-406 | Buena Vista, Clay | |
HLP-2024-0013 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | Valero - Hartley, IAT-407 | O'Brien | |
HLP-2024-0014 | SCS Carbon Transport LLC | POET - Ashton, IAT-408 | O'Brien, Osceola |
Resources:
Videos, Webinars, and News Articles:
- Our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@IowaSierraClub/videos
- Watch our "Carbon Pipelines: A Disaster Waiting to Happen" webinar.
- Watch our "Protect Our Land: No Carbon Pipelines" webinar.
- Carbon pipelines require a lot of water from our aquifers. Watch this video about Carbon Pipelines, CCS and Water, November, 2023
- Watch the IUB hearing, including testimony from landowners, Summit and other experts, August-November 2023
- Watch Jess Mazour on Iowa Press, April, 2023
- Gassing of Satartia
- Grist article on CO2 leak
- Read the article "US carbon pipeline company pledges no oil recovery, but Bakken drillers want it", written by Leah Douglas, Reuters, March 11, 2024
Fact Sheets and Maps:
- See our fact sheet on CO2 pipelines
- See our flyer on "Tell your legislators, "No eminent domain for hazardous liquid pipelines" and how to answer their concerns"
- Landowners: Know Your Rights About Surveys, Land Agents and Easements
- Landowners: Know Your Rights About Eminent Domain
- Find out why counties should hire an independent inspector. (share this with your County Supervisors)
- Pass a County Ordinance to protect your community from carbon pipelines. Several counties have already passed an ordinance - Shelby, Story, Adair, Bremer, Butler, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth, Palo Alto
- Click here for an interactive map of the carbon pipeline projects.
Iowa Law:
- Chapter 9 - Restoration of Agricultural Lands During and After Pipeline Construction
- Chapter 479b - Hazardous Liquid Pipelines and Storage Facilities
