A rehearing of the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline permit application in North Dakota will include multiple days of hearings for the Bismarck area.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission on Monday tentatively set the week of April 22 for multiple hearings in Burleigh County. The commission will work to finalize dates, times and location in the coming weeks.
The commission also is tentatively planning hearings in other counties along the route, likely in Linton in Emmons County and Gwinner in Sargent County or Wahpeton in Richland County. Dates discussed for those hearings were in May and June but a schedule was not set.
The PSC last year denied Summit’s application, but the Iowa-based company asked for a rehearing and has made changes to its route.
The changes include putting the route farther east of Bismarck before it heads west, some route changes in Emmons County and more minor changes elsewhere.
Changes were made to address issues raised by the PSC, including avoiding wildlife areas, landslide areas and concerns from landowners.
Summit says it has obtained about 80% of the route 353-mile route in North Dakota through voluntary easements from landowners. But some landowners have pushed back amid fears of damage to farmland and property values and the safety of the pipeline. Some also question the need for carbon capture and storage.
PSC hearings in 2023 included hours of testimony from landowners and residents along the pipeline as well from Summit representatives.
Summit says the pipeline would benefit the ethanol industry and farmers who supply corn to the ethanol plants.
The controversial pipeline would gather greenhouse gas emissions from ethanol plants in five states. It would run through Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota before ending in North Dakota at underground storage sites in Mercer and Oliver Counties.
Tharaldson Ethanol at Casselton is the only North Dakota plant on the pipeline route.
The PSC on Monday also denied a petition from Burleigh County that was seeking reconsideration of an earlier ruling on state versus local control on zoning for pipelines.
The PSC ruled that state laws take precedence of local zoning rules for things such as setbacks from residences.
Commission chair Randy Christmann said the Burleigh County arguments in the petition were substantially similar to arguments made at an earlier hearing.
The commission voted unanimously to deny the petition.
Emmons County is challenging the PSC ruling in court.
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