Summit Carbon Solutions wants to use eminent domain to build a carbon dioxide pipeline through 30 Iowa counties in northern and western Iowa, according to a permit application filed last week with the Iowa Utilities Board.
As three companies are planning CO2 pipelines in Iowa, The Gazette looked at safety records for underground pipelines already in Linn and Johnson counties.
The Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club hosted an online panel of first responders and victims of a 2020 CO2 pipeline explosion in western Mississippi.
Here’s what we know about the Coggon Solar project in Linn County, approved by Linn County supervisors on Monday and expected to break ground in March.
Supervisors Ben Rogers and Stacey Walker voted for the project, while Louie Zumbach voted against it. The approval means that about 750 acres will be rezoned from agricultural to agricultural with a renewable energy overlay that expires after 35 years.
The supervisors cited the complexities of the utility-scale solar installation near Coggon as a reason to take more time, before voting late Tuesday to have more discussion on setback limits and solar panel height with the county staff.
The Linn County supervisors meet for a third consideration on Tuesday night with a fourth likely to follow
ADM announced Tuesday it wants to build a carbon dioxide pipeline from its plants in Cedar Rapids and Clinton to a sequestration site in Illinois.
A utility-grade solar installation west of Coggon will proceed to the second of three consideration after the Linn County Board of Supervisors disregarded an advisory panel’s recommendation that they deny it.
The state has awarded $14.8 million to 4,608 residential projects and more than $26.7 million to 2,666 business installations. The average residential credit has grown from $1,850 in 2012 to $3,215 in 2021. The average business credits have increased from $7,997 to $9,990.
The decision to deny or approve may be made at any of the three consideration meetings. The final consideration and approval cannot occur until all three readings have happened.
Scientists with the Iowa Geological Survey say Iowa has the underground infrastructure for carbon dioxide sequestration, which would allow Iowa to keep more of the federal tax credits for CO2 storage and have fewer miles of new pipelines.
Despite assurances from county planning and development staff, the Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended denying a proposed solar farm near Coggon. A final decision will come from the Board of Supervisors.
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