Lori Hinz, reporter for BEK News, gives a weekly update from the research on her daily feature on Capturing America’s Heartland: CO2 Pipeline on Townsquare Media SuperTalk 1270AM’s Talk of the Town with host Steve Bakken.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission heard comments from officials and nearby landowners on applications for the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 Pipeline Monday.
The company is making another attempt to secure a route permit and a certificate of corridor compatibility after the PSC denied the first application last year. Some of the changes made between the proposals included rerouting the pipeline 10 miles north of Bismarck city limits and avoiding areas of concern, such as game management areas.
The project as a whole will result in pipelines transporting carbon dioxide across five midwestern states where it will be stored underground in North Dakota. The route travels across 10 counties along central and eastern North Dakota, including Burleigh, Morton, Richland and Cass counties.
Representatives with Summit were questioned about its impact on the environment and people, as well as whether the infrastructure is compatible with environmental preservation.
Summit Chief Operating Officer James Powell was asked about their progress with getting easements from landowners. Powell said he was confident Summit would be able to get all the easements necessary to complete their project.
Several landowners also aired their concerns, citing potential issues with underground storage and power consumption.
"There are some new stories every single week that come out that actually debunk the whole green energy thing or scam or hoax or whatever they are calling it, "Hinz said. "I've heard it been called a Ponzi scheme. That comes to the basis of the whole thing, really."
Hinz and Bakken continued the complex carbon conversation layering in government subsidies and their invisible hand directing the marketplace.
Hinz cited a recent Opinion & Editorial piece from GV Wire that is titled, Carbon Capture Isn't Nearly as Green as Fossil Fuel Promoters Make It Sound.
Carbon capture is a complex process that removes a portion of the carbon emitted from industrial processes by capturing it from a smokestack, or carbon can be captured directly from the air. The technology for CCS has been around for about 50 years.
Indeed, the fossil fuel industry has invested many billions of dollars in this technology. Oil companies have used most of the captured carbon (mostly from oil refineries) to pump into non-producing oil wells to repressurize them allowing oil to again flow to the surface (California banned this process in 2022).
CCS operations can also inject carbon into the ground for, hopefully, permanent storage. This approach comes with considerable risk of leakage, either from distribution pipelines or from imperfectly sealed underground formations.
Click here for Op/Ed piece cited in interview
The project basically consists of a proposed high-pressure CO2 pipeline that would be built close to residential Bismarck, ND. This has become the topic of controversy among residents and rural landowners along the pipeline’s route.
The pipeline would transport carbon dioxide captured from ethanol plants in five Midwest states to an end point north and west of the Bismarck-Mandan area, in Oliver and Mercer counties.
Other PSC hearings are scheduled for May 24 at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton and June 4 at Our Club in Linton.
BEK TV host Lori Hinz brings weekly updates in Capturing America’s Heartland: CO2 Pipeline, which invites experts on all sides of the issue to weigh in on a variety of concerns and benefits regarding building an unusually large pipeline so close to residents and property owners. From reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing domestic oil production, to significant technical, regulatory, and health and safety challenges, the series explores how the proposed route could affect the Heartland of America.
Capturing America’s Heartland: CO2 Pipeline airs weekdays at 9 AM.
Hinz is also the RNC National Committeewoman for North Dakota.
Bakken is a native of Grand Forks, North Dakota. He began his career as a radio host at the age of 12 and has spent time in several major markets during his radio career. After returning to North Dakota, he served as host of “What's on your mind?” and “Energy Matters” on KFYR 550. Bakken served as the business development manager for Larson Engineering and owner of SB Productions. Bakken attended the University of North Dakota. Bakken is a big outdoorsman and loves to pheasant hunt in his free time. He also loves to show his Gordon Setters at dog shows around the country. Bakken is married to wife Wendy and enjoys spending time on the river with her.
Bakken is the current Burleigh County Chairman and the former Mayor of Bismarck.
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CO2 Pipelines in North Dakota Continue to be the Talk of the Town