South Dakotans must take another stand against effort to force dangerous CO2 pipelines through state
South Dakota citizens and especially landowners: We need your help. Summit Carbon Solutions has filed a new docket with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.
The name has been changed to the Midwest Carbon Express Pipeline. This company has not previously built or has no management experience in hazardous CO2 pipelines. South Dakota will be the guinea pig for their experiment.
It will be very important for you to file your comments with the Public Utilities Commission, or present them at the PUC public meetings Jan. 15-17. It will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, at Mitchell High School and at 5 p.m. in the Hub Auditorium at Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls; at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at the De Smet Event Center and at 6 p.m. at the Watertown Ramkota Hotel Event Center; and at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan 17, at the Dakota Events Center in Aberdeen and at 6 p.m. at the Redfield School Auditorium. You can also mail comments to PUC, 500 East Capitol, Pierre SD 57501.
This is not all about CO2 pipelines going into the ground. If this project goes through, they will be applying to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for permits to take millions of gallons of water from the artesian aquifer to cool their pumps along the route.
Spink, Brown and McPherson county commissioners have done an outstanding job of protecting their citizens by passing ordinances that route this hazardous pipeline away from homes, cities, feedlots, hospitals, schools, etc. These counties have not been swayed by the taxes this pipeline could possibly generate and further commissioner enticement of grant money to be used for anything.
This would be quid pro quo to ascertain an affirmative support. SCS claims that the taxes will benefit county residents. Does this outweigh the dangers that would be present? Greed for 45Q federal tax dollars is what is driving the need for this and similar pipelines.
South Dakota voters defeated the proposed SB-201 Referred Law 21, the so-called the “Landowner Bill of Rights.”
CO2 is an asphyxiant (killing any people or animals). Anyone entering the cloud of invisible gas would need to wear a self-contained breathing apparatus. At first when it breaks it would appear as fog. As the moister evaporates it would then be invisible. CO2 is odorless, colorless and heavier than air.
https://www.osha.gov/publications/hib19960605
Any landowner willing to sign one of these easements needs to be sure to have this pipeline at least 6 feet in the ground and at least 2,500 feet from residential buildings. Once you sign, you have given up all your rights to the land you own.
I suggest you do your research and get informed first. Ask yourself, how will this affect my family, business and livestock? Is the money worth the trouble? Be sure to contact a lawyer before you give up your property rights to your land.
This CO2 is coming from the fermentation of corn in the Glacial Lakes ethanol plant (probably similar to such a plant in Burlington, Iowa, seen above in a public domain photo posted on wikimedia commons). At present it is being injected into the steam that is part of the cook-off process making ethanol.
Jamie Fisk of Tulare is a retired elementary school teacher who served in the Air Force, the South Dakota National Guard and the Army Reserves.
