Shelby County removed from Summit Carbon pipeline route

DES MOINES — Shelby County is no longer included in the proposed route for Summit Carbon Solutions’ carbon sequestration pipeline after the company announced Wednesday it is refining portions of its Iowa project footprint to “focus on the strongest and most efficient path forward.”
In a filing submitted to the Iowa Utilities Commission May 13, Summit said the revised route removes pipeline segments in Shelby, Pottawattamie, Montgomery, Adams, Page, Fremont, Mitchell and Worth counties, while also reducing pipeline mileage in Crawford, Floyd, Sioux and Dickinson counties. The company said the changes would reduce the project footprint by about 200 miles and remove more than 400 landowners from the proposed route.
Summit said the route refinements are intended to simplify the overall project while maintaining the core infrastructure needed to move forward.
“We believe this is the right step for the project and the right step for the communities counting on new opportunities,” Summit CEO Joe Griffin said. “Agriculture is facing real economic pressure right now. Farmers and ethanol producers need access to new markets and long-term growth opportunities, and there is urgency to getting infrastructure like this moving forward.”
The company said it will continue working with what it called a “strong core group” of ethanol facilities, including 27 in Iowa. However, Summit said it will no longer pursue routes connected to Absolute Energy, POET Corning, POET Hanlon-town or Green Plains Shenandoah.
Griffin said the company is focusing on portions of the system that are economically positioned to advance now, while continuing to evaluate future expansion opportunities.
“This allows us to focus on the core infrastructure that makes the most sense today and move through the process faster and more efficiently,” Griffin said. “We are building this project for the long haul because strong infrastructure is critical to the future of agriculture, rural communities, and America’s energy future. Even with these refinements, this remains the largest single private infrastructure investment in Iowa history.”
The proposed pipeline would transport captured carbon dioxide west through Nebraska for sequestration in Wyoming. Summit said the project is intended to help ethanol producers compete in emerging fuel markets, including sustainable aviation fuel.
The announcement drew mixed reactions from supporters and opponents of the project.
Sherri Webb, whose family owns 40 acres in Shelby County which would have been crossed by the pipeline under the previous route, said the announcement brings some relief but not reassurance.
“Summit’s notice is like a white elephant gift,” Webb said.
“It looks good at first glance, but they included a gift card that said they will be ‘continuing to evaluate future expansion opportunities over time’.”
“I don’t trust Summit and we are cautiously optimistic, but we aren’t giving up the fight for all landowners that have had their property rights taken,” she said.
Shelby County Board of Supervisors Chair Mike Kolbe said county officials are still reviewing the filing and waiting on pending decisions tied to the project.
“Shelby County is still evaluating this filing by Summit and still awaiting the Iowa Utilities Commission’s rulings and other legal matters in the case,” Kolbe said. “That being said, we’re cautiously optimistic that our landowners and Shelby County may soon be able to move on from this very unpopular project.”
Kolbe said the proposed route never appeared practical for southwest Iowa.
“From the outset, Summit’s plan didn’t seem to make sense in Southwest Iowa, running a pipeline 126 mi. to service a single ethanol plant near our southern border,” Kolbe said.
He also thanked other counties and landowners who opposed the project.
“The Board wants to thank the dozens of counties and hundreds of landowners who have stood beside Shelby County in opposition to this project,” Kolbe said. “This battle may soon be over for our affected landowners, but the war continues in the fight against the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines throughout Iowa.”
Opponents of the project also said the changes signal continued instability for the pipeline proposal.
Jess Mazour, conservation coordinator for the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club, said that despite the revised route, the project “is still a pipeline to nowhere.”
“These significant changes show that Summit is struggling to make their project happen and trying to spin it as a win,” Mazour said. “It’s time Summit withdraws their application and accepts that Iowans do not want their carbon pipeline.”
“Summit’s project has been on shaky ground for a long time,” said Wally Taylor, attorney for the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club. “Summit has been flailing around to try to keep their project viable and now it looks like it’s falling apart.”
In June 2024, the Iowa Utilities Commission approved a permit allowing Summit to construct more than 600 miles of carbon pipeline in Iowa, contingent on the company obtaining permits in the Dakotas before construction could begin.
After South Dakota denied Summit a permit and later passed a law prohibiting the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines, Summit petitioned the Iowa Utilities Commission to amend its permit conditions and modify portions of the project route.
Despite the changes and ongoing legal challenges, Griffin said the company continues to see broad support across the remaining project footprint.
“We continue to see strong support from the majority of landowners and stakeholders across our project footprint,” Griffin said. “These people understand that standing still is not an option in this economy. This project is about creating durable economic prosperity, strengthening rural communities, supporting America’s energy independence and national security interests, and helping ensure agriculture remains competitive for all future generations.”