{"id":4424,"date":"2023-10-22T09:53:45","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T16:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=4424"},"modified":"2023-10-22T09:55:02","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T16:55:02","slug":"in-depth-farmers-band-together-against-co2-pipeline-project-in-south-dakota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2023\/10\/22\/in-depth-farmers-band-together-against-co2-pipeline-project-in-south-dakota\/","title":{"rendered":"IN-DEPTH: Farmers Band Together Against CO2 Pipeline Project in South Dakota"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Update: Carbon Capture Pipeline Nixed After Widespread Opposition<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Update: South Dakota Regulators Deny CO2 Pipeline Permit<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a long but very well done article on what is happening across multiple states with eminent domain for a CO2 pipeline project. Of interest the pipeline company when inspecting private property for their project came on property without proper notice, used armed security, and in one case entered the farmhouse while the farmer’s wife was showering. Reads like the old tactic of intimidation to get them to stop resisting and agree to the easements. Eminent domain was always intended for taking private property with reason for the public good, not for private corporations and their projects. Consequently, the globalist elites have told us that you’ll own nothing, rent everything, and you’ll be happy; so this is the tip of the iceberg on how they will assault private property rights for their ESG, DEI utopia they’ll strong arm you into accepting. And look how controlled opposition Governor Kristi Noem has left the land owners hanging with the captured state senators killing the eminent domain reform bill in committee after it passed the house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/in-depth-farmers-band-together-against-co2-pipeline-project-in-south-dakota_5328078.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

By Allan Stein (published June 15, 2023)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

MELLETTE, S.D.\u2014On their way to attend their niece\u2019s wedding in July 2021, fourth-generation farmer Ed Fischbach of Mellette, South Dakota, and his wife made a quick stop to check the mailbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His wife reached inside, pulling out a handful of letters. Within the small pile was an envelope from a company she had never heard of\u2014Summit Carbon Solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She opened the letter and began reading it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDear landowner,\u201d the letter began innocently enough. But as she continued reading, her jaw nearly dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen to this,\u201d she told her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Iowa-based company described plans to build a massive carbon capture pipeline across five midwestern states in the letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1,400-mile pipeline would transport carbon dioxide under high pressure, produced by ethanol and biofuel refineries, for burial in North Dakota. The goal would be to reduce the region\u2019s carbon footprint to protect the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fischbachs then learned that the pipeline would travel through some of the most productive areas of the 1,400-acre property that has been in their family for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe proposed pipeline route for the project is depicted on the enclosed map,\u201d the letter continued, \u201cand public records indicate that you are the record taxpayer of all or certain portions of the property.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notice further advised that Summit Carbon, through its consultant, TRC Companies, would perform preliminary surveys in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But first, the company needed permission to go on the property. Ed Fischbach said he never filled out or returned the enclosed approval form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, he made phone calls and soon realized other landowners in Spink County had received the same letter, including his nephew Brad, who raises beef cattle for a living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho is this outfit? Nobody heard about it,\u201d Fischbach said. \u201cI decided I\u2019m not going to stand for this. Somebody had to do something about it. I took the lead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August 2021, Fischbach called a meeting at the local community center, expecting a dozen people to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without advertising, 74 landowners turned out. None of them supported the project in South Dakota, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI said to myself. I\u2019m onto something here. This is real. We have to pursue this,\u201d Fischbach told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opposition Builds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fischbach said that soon afterward, Summit Carbon held a catered public meeting to unveil the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 300 people showed up for the event, Fischbach recalled. Summit officials spoke and held a slide show on the project\u2019s economic and environmental benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were questions asked and answered, as well as comments from the public. Fischbach said he was the first to take the microphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy first question to them was, \u2018Would you commit today not to use eminent domain on those of us that don\u2019t want your project?’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After repeated attempts, Summit Carbon officials would not answer \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d, Fischbach said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, a company official said, \u201cNo, I cannot do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Epoch<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt just set off a chain reaction. Nobody wanted this thing. They ended the meeting,\u201d said Fischbach, leader of the South Dakota Easement Team opposed to the company\u2019s attempts to acquire right-of-way easements by eminent domain to build the pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the July 2021 letter, Summit Carbon has filed more than 81 eminent domain lawsuits in 10 South Dakota counties against farmers who refuse to voluntarily sign easement agreements with the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re trying to intimidate people,\u201d Fischbach said. \u201cThey\u2019re doing this with no permit. That\u2019s what\u2019s upsetting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a trespass law in this state. It doesn\u2019t mean anything because they\u2019re out surveying people. The company has armed security guards on your property to keep you away from the surveyors. We\u2019ve got pictures of them. They\u2019re bringing this in without authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summit Carbon is suing one McPherson County couple to take, acquire, or appropriate property to allow a temporary or permanent easement, \u201cwhich has been authorized by statute for public use,\u201d according to the petition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The couple had 30 days to respond to the petition or face a jury to \u201cascertain the just compensation for the property proposed to be taken or damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement to Forum News Service, Jesse Harris, the director of public affairs for Summit Carbon, said the lawsuits are the next step when \u201cnegotiating in good faith\u201d fails to produce results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe look forward to continuing to work with regulators, policymakers, landowners, and more to advance this critical investment in our economy,\u201d Harris told the news service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Dakota Rep. Karla Lems, a Republican, said the pipeline project takes advantage of legal loopholes in the state\u2019s eminent domain law (SDL 49-7-11) which states, \u201cAny pipeline companies owning a pipeline which is a common carrier as defined by 49-7-11 may exercise the right of eminent domain in acquiring right-of-way as prescribed by statute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summit Carbon filed a project permit with South Dakota\u2019s Public Utilities Commission, which will decide in September whether to allow the pipeline to move forward or not. Four other states considering the pipeline include Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and North Dakota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summit Carbon Responds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Summit Carbon spokeswoman Courtney Ryan countered claims of widespread opposition to the pipeline, citing an \u201coverwhelming majority\u201d of landowners along the proposed route that have signed easement agreements to support and advance the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo date, 2,800 landowners have signed 4,520 easement agreements accounting for 1,410 miles of our proposed pipeline route and 135,000 acres of our proposed sequestration site,\u201d Ryan told The Epoch Times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor an easy comparison, the Dakota Access pipeline [the most recent major pipeline project in the Midwest] is 1,172 total miles. In other words, the number of easement agreements we\u2019ve already secured exceeds the mileage of that project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan said the \u201cshort answer\u201d is that CO2 has been utilized for years as a commodity and Summit Carbon Solutions is a common carrier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 230 million metric tons of CO2 are used every year with fertilizer serving as the largest consumer, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOther uses include other commercial and industrial applications, which include food and beverage production, metal fabrication, cooling, fire suppression, and stimulating plant growth in greenhouses. Emerging uses include construction materials, industrial gas and fluids, fuel, polymers, chemicals, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn every South Dakota county where our project is located, the company will invest $45 million on average to help generate economic growth. In those same counties, Summit will pay an average of $650,000 in new property taxes,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan added there are 3.3 million miles of pipeline in operation in the United States, including 12,000 in South Dakota alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Summit Carbon system includes carbon capture, transportation, and storage, utilizing long-standing technology that is \u201csafe, reliable, and proven to be safe for landowners and community,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the company will maintain an operations center round the clock in Ames, South Dakota, that will monitor for leaks and any changes in the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrot Versus Armed Guards?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, Lems said the company appears to have the right to conduct land surveys on private property within the proposed construction area with 30 days\u2019 notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, she said in many cases, those surveys have been \u201cinvasive\u201d and, in some instances, accompanied by armed guards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey say they\u2019re using the carrot\u2014we\u2019re going to give you so much for your land,\u201d Lems told The Epoch Times. \u201cOn the other hand, they\u2019re holding a gun, saying if you don\u2019t do this, we will take your property.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lems was the lead sponsor of House Bill 1133 which sought to define a \u201ccommodity for the purpose of qualifying as a common carrier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA common carrier is a person or a commercial enterprise that transports passengers or goods for a fee and establishes that their service is open to the general public,\u201d according to LII, a nonprofit legal publishing group based at Cornell Law School in Ithaca, New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA private carrier, on the other hand, is a person or a commercial enterprise that only agrees in particular circumstances to transport passengers or good. Private carriers differ from common carriers because they don\u2019t establish that their service is open to the general public.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HB1133 held that \u201ca company transporting carbon dioxide, by pipeline, is not a common carrier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to redefine commodity,\u201d Lems said. \u201cThis is not even a permitted project in our state. And yet they can come in and by the power of eminent domain serve condemnation on these people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill passed in the House but died in a Senate committee. Similar measures in North Dakota and Iowa also failed, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt looks to me like a boondoggle,\u201d Lems said. \u201cIt just looks to us like the skids have been greased. Everything is lined up for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can slice and dice laws so they fit your project. You get the right people on board to push it through. Again, follow the money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 17, Lems and 21 other state lawmakers penned a letter to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noam, asking for her support to stop the \u201cundue attack on the private property rights of our citizens [which] is an affront to the South Dakota Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe CO2 pipelines continue to forge ahead, embracing the World Economic Forum goal of net zero by 2050. However, we in South Dakota live by a different set of rules,\u201d the letter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summit Carbon Solutions investors include Continental Resources, TPG Rise Climate, Summit Agricultural Group, Tiger Infrastructure Partners, and SK Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SK Holdings, one of the largest engineering firms in South Korea with reputed ties to the Summit Carbon project, agreed to pay $68.4 million in criminal fines after pleading guilty to defrauding the U.S. Army in June 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSK paid millions of dollars to secure contracts with the Army and submitted false claims to conceal those illicit payments,\u201d Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the U.S. Justice Department\u2019s Criminal Division wrote in a June 10, 2020, statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benczkowski added, \u201cCompanies like SK\u2014which withheld and destroyed documents, attempted to persuade a witness not to cooperate, and failed to discipline any responsible employees\u2014will pay a price.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip of Investor Iceberg<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lems said the pipeline reportedly has more than 400 private and foreign investors, but Summit Carbon Solutions has refused to make them all public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summit Carbon Solutions is a subsidiary of agribusiness operator and investor Summit Agricultural Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Feb. 18, 2021, Summit Agricultural Group announced the creation of Summit Carbon Solutions to address the \u201cglobal challenge of decarbonization by developing the world\u2019s largest carbon capture and storage project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn doing so, Summit Carbon will accelerate the transition toward sustainable, renewable energy by dramatically lowering the carbon footprint of bio-refineries and other carbon dioxide emission sources throughout the midwestern region of the United States,\u201d the company wrote in a press release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When complete, the pipeline would enable the capture and storage of more than 10 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, \u201cwhich is equivalent to taking 2 million cars off the road per year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn addition to the project\u2019s positive environmental impact, it will enhance the economic sustainability of the biofuels and agriculture industries while providing tremendous benefits to communities across the Midwest [through] significant private investment and job creation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Summit Carbon, the estimated $4.5 billion pipeline would produce 11,427 construction and permanent full-time jobs, $371 million in tax revenues, and $309 million in the right-of-way and \u201cother landowner payments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company on its website boasts 2,704 \u201csigned landowner partners\u201d and 34 supporting ethanol companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s Future?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know the money they\u2019re throwing at [landowners] is a big deal,\u201d Fischbach said. \u201cBut, my goodness, is it worth it? I take the position that anybody who would sign an easement like that must not like their kids or grandkids much to do that to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fischbach, 68, is nearing retirement. He said the proposed right-of-way appears to bisect his land to render its future use by his children problematic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same is true on property owned by his nephew Brad where a proposed 100-foot easement would straddle his cattle operation, preventing expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it would be devastating to the area the way it\u2019s going to follow diagonally through the parcels instead of section lines,\u201d Fischbach said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to ruin some of that land. You\u2019ll never get the production back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can never build anything over the top of that line. It\u2019s permitted forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The petition against the McPherson County couple contains an assignment clause stating the company has the right to sell, apportion, mortgage, or lease any agreement with landowners, including easements granted under them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fischbach argued that granting pipeline easements to Summit Carbon would cede to the company ownership indefinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Money No Object<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fischbach said the company recently moved the pipeline off his property and onto his neighbors\u2019 without notice or explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that they moved the pipeline off me\u2014I don\u2019t appreciate that,\u201d he said. \u201cThey never asked me. They moved onto some of my neighbors and upset them. If I don\u2019t want something on my property, I wouldn\u2019t want it on my neighbor either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth-generation farmer said some farmers\u2014offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to sell the right of way\u2014just said \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re walking away from that. It is not a company we want to have long term in our state\u2014or any other area,\u201d Fischbach said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce they get that easement, nothing is stopping them. They\u2019ve got the politicians\u2014all the governors in these states are all on board with them. They\u2019ve got our federal people who are on board or won\u2019t touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur governor won\u2019t even meet and talk about this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fourth-generation farmer Jared Bossly is another pipeline opponent facing eminent domain litigation from Summit Carbon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sees the project as a direct assault on his children\u2019s future and his private property rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe pipeline will come right through here,\u201d Bossly said, pointing to an open field near a tree windbreak on his 2,000-acre farm where he raises 200 head of cattle. \u201cThey\u2019re going to tear all these new trees out and go right through the middle of this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re so green and want to save the world, why do they want to ruin people\u2019s trees?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bossly, 42, said the pipeline easement would cripple his ability to expand his operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt totally could change the future of this [farm],\u201d he said. \u201cRight now, we\u2019re about maxed out. The only way I can expand is north.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the map of Fischbach\u2019s property, Bossly said the proposed easement runs diagonally across his land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just like they\u2019re aiming for all the houses. I don\u2019t understand. If they were looking for the lay of the land for the people, they could go a mile south where there aren\u2019t any houses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charges Filed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bossly said that on May 3, two land surveyors from Summit Carbon went onto his property without notice. Then they entered his farmhouse while his wife was in the shower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, Bossly said he was out planting crops several miles away. When his wife called him on his cell phone, Bossly advised that a sheriff\u2019s officer should be present and said, \u201cI gotta go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During that brief exchange, Bossly said he never spoke with either land surveyor. One later claimed Bossly threatened to kill them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey claimed I threatened them. I was on the phone for six seconds. I\u2019ve got phone records,\u201d Bossly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Brown County judge dismissed a contempt charge on May 31. Bossly said the judge would not allow evidence that would have cleared his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like they want to restrain you from your land. Those guys came to my house. They came to my land. They poked their heads in my house. If anybody should have a restraining order [against anyone], my wife should,\u201d Bossly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Horrible Situation\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michael Klipfel, a fifth-generation farmer and chairman of the McPherson County Republican Party, told The Epoch Times his farmland is also a target for eminent domain confiscation in court by Summit Carbon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to affect the farm in a major way adversely. It\u2019s hitting me on five different corridors that happen to lay on five different sections,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe reduction in value will be huge. It\u2019s between two of my farmhouses\u2014300 feet from the one I live in; 600 feet from our guest house. We have outbuildings in there too. Once that pipeline goes through, we can\u2019t build there anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a horrible situation. It\u2019s a private property issue that needs to be solved here, or else it will resonate through the country in a big way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heidi Engelhart said she and her husband started farming in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 1993. They have three sons working on the farm and nine grandchildren who will inherit it someday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to be able to carry that on. We have grandchildren. And we want them to carry that on for them also,\u201d Engelhart told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe farmer takes care of the land. If we want that farm to produce, we\u2019ve got to take care of the land. I care because these are my people. I see the agony they\u2019re going through. I don\u2019t want that on anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers Rally<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On June 10, more than 100 South Dakota farmers gathered at City Lights in Aberdeen to show solidarity against the pipeline. The keynote speaker was Tom DeWeese, president of the American Policy Center, a nonprofit free enterprise action group based in Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeWeese told the farmers that the issue is primarily about preserving individual property rights and personal liberty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProperty rights protection is the No. 1 weapon to use against all sustainable policy because sustainable policy cannot be imposed without destroying property rights,\u201d DeWeese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf property rights are protected, they\u2019re stopped in their tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeWeese characterized globalist environmental initiatives like United Nations Agendas 21 and 30 as a \u201cdiabolical force unlike any other in history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said it involves the voluntary surrender of liberty, enshrined in personal property rights, using fear of an environmental catastrophe as a weapon to sway people. He described the global green agenda as a \u201ccomprehensive blueprint for the reorganization of human society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese environmental policies have absolutely nothing to do with protecting the environment. Almost every policy they bring out is damaging to the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeWeese said the term \u201csustainable\u201d is a trigger word for getting people to surrender liberty voluntarily as part of an action plan to \u201cinventory and control all resources and people, enforced with fear of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is what you are all facing in the drive to create the carbon capture pipeline. South Dakota is on the front lines,\u201d DeWeese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeWeese added no evidence supports claims of manmade climate change or that CO2 is dangerous to the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no consensus of scientists. Rising sea levels drown no islands. The poles are not melting. Polar bears are not drowning. The numbers are climbing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, DeWeese said the planet is \u201con the verge of CO2 starvation,\u201d holding up a U.S. Navy data sheet for the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said at least 1,600 ppm of carbon dioxide is required for trees and plants to thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet me tell you something. If you have no carbon footprint, you are dead. This idiotic scheme ignores biological science. Trees and plants need CO2 to live.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeWeese said the way to stop the pipeline requires organization and activism at the local level with \u201cliberty pods\u201d comprised of individuals willing to go the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety Concerns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Landowners for Eminent Domain Reform (LEDR), a group opposed to carbon capture pipelines in South Dakota, said Summit Carbon and another firm, Navigator Heartland Greenway, are two start-up companies formed to \u201ctake advantage of massive lucrative\u201d 45Q federal green energy tax credits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the Summit Carbon pipeline, the Navigator project spans approximately 1,300 miles across five midwestern states, but with plans to permanently bury captured CO2 in Illinois.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe CO2 pipelines of the type proposed for our area have never been built anywhere and are being built by companies that have never built or managed a hazardous CO2 pipeline,\u201d a LEDR fact sheet states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organization believes the general safety record of carbon capture operations is doubtful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Feb. 22, 2020, a carbon capture pipeline in Satartia, Mississippi, ruptured, spewing toxic gas and leaving a 40-foot crater beside the highway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danbury Gulf Coast Pipelines owns and operates the 77-mile pipeline, installed in 2009 for enhanced oil recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carbon dioxide is \u201can asphyxiant,\u201d Lems said. \u201cIf this thing blows [in South Dakota] more than likely people, at the least, will be in the Emergency Room. At the most, they\u2019re going to die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With pipeline safety a top priority, Fischbach said burying the line at a proposed shallow depth of four feet doesn\u2019t make him feel safer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that depth, he said heavy farm equipment can sink and damage the pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a right to know these things as landowners who have to live by these things,\u201d Fischbach said. \u201cIt\u2019s very scary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legislators Oppose Pipeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

South Dakota Rep. Carl Perry (R) said he is \u201c100 percent in favor of ending the erosion of property rights\u201d by companies like Summit Carbon and Navigator that exploit loopholes in eminent domain laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt should not be for private gain\u2014period,\u201d Perry told The Epoch Times. \u201cWe need to take care of our people. If they can do this to my farm, what if they come to my house?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perry said he supported HB1133, which passed in the House by a 70 percent margin, losing in a 9-0 vote in the Senate committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was what we call a stacked committee. It was already decided even before they had the meeting,\u201d Perry said. \u201cOur farmers feed the world. We\u2019re in trouble if we don\u2019t care for our farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Dakota Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer (R) said the central issue is \u201cnot about the pipeline; it\u2019s about property rights.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just farmland; it\u2019s anything you own,\u201d Schaefbauer told The Epoch Times. \u201cIt\u2019s happening [in Brown County] because a judge said you can go on land without interference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the word gets out, and the truth is out in the media, people start saying wait for a second. I had no idea this was going on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fischbach said at least two non-resident landowners in Spink County signed easement agreements with Summit Carbon. At the same time, an unlikely coalition of conservative farmers and liberal environmentalists has come forward to oppose the pipeline, refusing to sell out at any price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a price. We don\u2019t sell our soul to anybody. I\u2019ll go to my grave fighting this,\u201d Fischbach said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Update: Carbon Capture Pipeline Nixed After Widespread Opposition Update: South Dakota Regulators Deny CO2 Pipeline Permit It’s a long but very well done article on what is happening across multiple states with eminent domain for a CO2 pipeline project. Of interest the pipeline company when inspecting private property for their project came on property without […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4424"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5503,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4424\/revisions\/5503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}