Today, despite years of vocal opposition, the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) approved Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC’s permit application for what would be the largest carbon pipeline project in the world. If built, the pipeline would cross more than 2,000 miles across five states, including nearly 700 miles in Iowa.

The project has drawn fierce grassroots opposition from climate, community, and Indigenous activists, pipeline safety advocates, farmers and landowners. Summit was denied permits for the project in South Dakota last September, as well as North Dakota in August. 

The announcement of today’s approval notes that the company would not be allowed to start construction in Iowa until it obtains approval from North and South Dakota.

In response to the decision, Food & Water Watch Policy Director Jim Walsh issued the following statement: 

“Summit’s massive carbon pipeline scam is nothing but a gift to Big Ag and the polluting ethanol industry. The pipeline poses substantial risks to public safety and will do little to nothing to reduce climate pollution. Governor Reynolds’s administration is at the center of this decision, and the whole project is made possible by massive federal tax credits and subsidies for the dangerous and unnecessary carbon capture industry. While Summit stands to make billions, it is our climate and communities that lose out. 

“While the company has won this round in Iowa, this is not the end of the line. There are still decisions at the federal and state levels that will determine whether this dangerous pipeline is ever built. The IUB’s approval of this dangerous project underscores the urgent need for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to update the outdated regulations for carbon dioxide pipelines before any other authorizations are issued.”

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