Wolf Carbon Solutions is withdrawing its petition to build a 95-mile carbon capture pipeline through eastern Iowa, according to a filing Monday with the Iowa Utilities Commission.
Wolf planned to capture carbon dioxide emissions at Archer Daniel Midland Co. ethanol plants in Cedar Rapids and Clinton, liquefy it under pressure and transport it to Illinois to be sequestered deep underground.
It’s unclear whether the Colorado-based company will reapply, saying in the filing it would “make a determination” once “more certainty exists concerning its plans to proceed.” The company, working in partnership with ADM on the project, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Wolf sought a permit last year to build the hazardous liquid pipeline across Linn, Cedar, Clinton and Scott counties. But the company said in its filing that continuing to pursue a permit wasn’t an efficient use of Iowa regulators’ resources.
“While Wolf has continued to build relationships with landowners and stakeholders interested in the project, a number of factors have continued to delay Wolf’s ability to proceed,” the company said. “And Wolf has decided to cease pursuit of the required regulatory approvals at this time.”
It’s the second company to withdraw its petition to build a carbon capture pipeline. Last year, Navigator CO2 Ventures permanently withdrew its plans to build a $3.5 billion carbon capture pipeline after running into regulatory and legislative challenges in Iowa, South Dakota and elsewhere.
Summit Carbon Solutions, however, continues to move forward with plans to build an $8 billion carbon capture pipeline across Iowa and four other states. It’s now working with ethanol producers that had planned to partner with Navigator CO2 Ventures.
Summit won regulatory approval to build its pipeline across Iowa in June, and last month, the company received the regulatory nod in North Dakota, where it plans to sequester its carbon.
The pipeline projects have been controversial with landowners, farmers and others voicing concerns about pipeline safety, possible damage to underground drainage tiles, and the use of eminent domain to obtain pipeline easements from landowners who won’t voluntarily sell them.
Summit won eminent domain powers in Iowa, but Wolf had said it would build its pipeline without them.
Opponents of the projects celebrated Wolf’s motion to withdraw its petition.
“The cancellation marks a significant victory for the landowners and communities that have fought tirelessly to protect their land, rights and safety from the risks posed by the controversial project for the past two years,” the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter said in a statement.
“As far as we know, no one along Wolf’s route signed an easement,” Lisa Dircks, Cedar County landowner, said in a statement. “That shows the power of communities sticking together to protect their land, families and future from dangerous carbon pipeline proposals.”
The group suggested Wolf withdrew its carbon capture pipeline petition in Iowa because of problems ADM has experienced at its sequestration site near Decatur, Illinois.
Last year, Wolf withdrew its Illinois application, but said “it didn’t impact its commitment to the project, its stakeholders, or the ongoing regulatory processes.”
In September, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleged that ADM had failed to adequately monitor the sequestration site after some carbon fluid moved to an unauthorized zone.
The EPA said the movement hadn’t threatened Lake Decatur reservoir or nearby wells used for drinking water. The fluid and drinking water were separated by about “a vertical mile,” filled with layers of rock, according to the EPA, which proposed actions ADM should take to ensure future compliance. EPA said it hasn’t yet issued a final order after accepting public comments.
Jess Mazour, Sierra Club’s Iowa conservation program associate, said in a statement that opponents will put in the work and time needed “to stop the Summit carbon pipeline, too.”
Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com.