Officials in South Dakota have announced an upcoming referendum vote on a law related to the proposed carbon pipeline project by Summit Carbon Solutions.
The law known as the “landowner bill of rights” was passed by the Legislature and has caused much controversy.
Opponents see it as an attempt to diminish local control and advance the approval of the proposed 2,500-mile pipeline project.
The referendum is set to take place on November 5, allowing voters to potentially reject the new regulations, which would further hinder the process of gaining regulatory approval for the pipeline project.
The law disempowers local governments from enforcing more stringent pipeline requirements and controlling the process, yet proponents argue that it would, instead, help landowners.
Relevant: Summit To Re-Apply For Carbon Pipeline Permit In North Dakota
Jim Eschenbaum, chairman of the South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance, is among those criticizing the legislation.
“I honestly believe a majority of South Dakotans think this pipeline is foolishness. I’m one of them. I think it’s just a bunch of hooey and a big taxpayer boondoggle,” Eschenbaum said.
The proposed pipeline project is expected to transport CO2 emissions from over 50 ethanol plants in the Midwest, criss-crossing 5 states (Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas), and leading to a permanent underground storage site in North Dakota.
So far, Summit has faced a number of setbacks and a considerable amount of opposition in the different states, such as the permit denial in North Dakota, which took place earlier this year, and the same denial faced in South Dakota last year.
Relevant: Summit Gets Approval From Iowa Regulators For Carbon Pipeline
However, the pipeline operator is determined to see the $5 billion project through and is planning on resubmitting its application in South Dakota this summer, while regulators in Iowa have already granted the company conditional approval.
House Majority Leader Will Mortenson, who helped introduce the new law, argued that the pipeline would be built with or without regulations in place, and so the law would help protect landowners from the potential risks associated with the project.
“If this gets shot down, that pipeline’s going to get built with no landowner protections and no plume study released and with(out) a whole bunch of the other benefits that we fought real hard to get included,” Mortenson said.
