Supervisors Hear Ag Land Inspection Presentation On Proposed CO2 Pipeline

A proposed CO2 (carbon dioxide) pipeline that would pass through portions of northwest Mills County was at the center of discussion during the Dec. 23 regular meeting of the Mills County Board Of Supervisors.

Tallgrass, a Nebraska-based energy infrastructure company, plans to construct a 4.6-mile pipeline to carry CO2 from the Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) ethanol production plant south of Council Bluffs to the Trailblazer Pipeline in Nebraska. Once in Nebraska, the CO2 will flow through the pipeline to a sequestration hub in Wyoming for permanent underground storage.

Although the proposed pipeline would begin in Pottawattamie County, most of the route would run south and west through an agricultural and industrial area of Mills County before connecting to an underwater stretch of pipeline at the Missouri River.

At last week’s meeting, the board heard from Kristina Paradise of Snyder and Associates. She shared information about the agricultural land inspection services her Ankeny-based civil and structural engineering, planning and design firm could provide to the county.

Paradise said according to state law, the county is required to hire an inspector to ensure the project’s agricultural mitigation plan is followed. She said her firm, if hired, would review all agricultural and land restoration facets of the project before, during and after the pipeline is constructed. The firm would not be responsible for inspecting the actual pipeline construction.

Paradise noted although the county is required to hire an inspector, Tallgrass would be required to reimburse the county for the expenses. The county’s decision to hire an inspection firm will be made at the recommendation of Mills County Engineer Jacob Ferro.

Mills County Supervisors Lonnie Mayberry, Richard Crouch and Jack Sayers first learned of the proposed pipeline project last January. Instead of coming to a meeting of the board of supervisors, Tallgrass contacted each supervisor individually to inform them of the proposed project.

The supervisors were also told by Tallgrass that because the pipeline will be less than 5 miles long, Iowa Code allows the company to build it without having to state the company’s intentions or sharing information about the project at a public information meeting. The supervisors were informed of the project after Tallgrass had already inked contracts for pipeline construction with 13 Mills County property owners along the route.

According to information Tallgrass provided to the supervisors, the pipeline will be constructed of an externally-coated 8-inch pipe that will be buried at a minimum depth of 48 inches. The pipeline would maintain a minimum setback of 300 feet from any residences along the route. Paradise told the supervisors Tallgrass plans to construct 2.43 miles of 8-inch pipeline and .61 miles of 24-inch pipeline in Mills County.

“This is according to the pipeline and their records, and it will cross Bunge, Allis, and the levee access road,” she said. “According to their Exhibit C, Trailblazer will construct a launcher and receiver station at the capture facility at the SIRE plant, and then a second launcher and receiver facility will be constructed in Mills County along with the mainline valve station and metering station. They’re going to do that where the 24-inch and the eight-inch connect just before the river crossing.”

Prior to Paradise’s presentation, the county board heard a couple of public comments regarding CO2 pipelines. Dan Stanley voiced concerns about eminent domain and suggested the supervisors pass a strong ordinance regarding carbon pipelines.

Stanley said he has 37 years of experience in emergency management exercise and training with the federal government. He noted that CO2 is “odorless, colorless and heavier than air” and is capable of causing people to pass out within minutes of exposure and is capable of stalling emergency response vehicles en route to a pipeline leak site.

“A major rupture could threaten our water supply, livestock, wildlife and when emergency response is required, it’s our fire departments, many of them volunteer already stretched thin, who would be called first,” Stanley said, “often without the specialized training or dedicated detection equipment needed for CO2.

“That’s why local control matters.”

Stanley questioned, “Who bears the risks and profits” when a pipeline is constructed?

“These pipelines are built primarily to secure federal carbon capture tax credits,” he said. “The economic benefits go to private corporations. Those people that live along the route, our neighbors and farmers, bear the danger of land disruption and long-term liability if something goes wrong.”