Editor’s note: This was an unsolicited letter that the Wright County Monitor received, and in the interest of airing out both sides of the pipeline debate, we wanted to run it in its entirety.
Although carbon capture technology has been in use for decades, the conversation around this topic has increased considerably in recent months, particularly here in Iowa. That is not surprising given that this technology now has the potential to provide a significant and long-lasting boost to agriculture and ethanol, which remain two of the most important drivers of the state’s economy. Today, the ethanol industry purchases 53% of all the corn grown and harvested across Iowa’s 13.6 million acres and supports 44,000 jobs in the state. The positive impact this provides to Iowa families and businesses is almost impossible to fully calculate.
Incorporating carbon capture technology into these industries will build on this strong foundation and position ethanol and agriculture for future growth.
A recent example of a project working with this type of technology is Ames-based Summit Carbon Solutions. This investment consists of partnerships with more than 30 ethanol plants across the Midwest, including 12 here in Iowa. One of those is CORN, LP in Goldfield where I am privileged to serve as CEO. Summit Carbon Solutions’ initiative will accelerate our long-term efforts to reduce the carbon intensity (CI) score of the ethanol we produce. The direct result of reducing CI scores allows these ethanol plants to access low-carbon fuel markets found across the country including in Oregon and Washington, plus others that are likely to adopt similar standards in the years to come. This growing marketplace is willing to pay a premium for more sustainable fuel sources and represents one of the most significant economic opportunities for ethanol and corn growers in the years to come.
Keeping Iowa’s ethanol plants profitable ensures a secure, long-term market for Iowa’s corn. As just one example, the CORN, LP facility utilizes 25 million bushels of corn every year, largely purchased from local corn growers in Wright County and surrounding communities. If the ethanol industry doesn’t remain competitive through carbon capture and storage projects like this one, not only would farmers lose a marketplace currently purchasing more than half of their product, they would also lose the byproduct production of dried distillers grains (DDGS) and corn oil used to feed their livestock, whose manure is used to fertilize our soil to produce the corn. This supply chain cycle is critical to Iowa’s agricultural sustainability. Failing to pursue this opportunity would have a potentially devastating impact on the state. The adverse impact to corn prices and land prices would be substantial. These industries are too important to Iowa’s economy to allow that to happen.
There are other benefits to this project as well. In the short-term during the construction phase, the project would create between 14,000 and 17,000 high-quality jobs. Long-term, once operational, it would create between 350 and 460 full-time permanent positions.
Taken together, Summit Carbon Solutions’ initiative helps meet a wide range of priorities such as supporting ethanol and farmers. It is critical that we embrace this project and the substantial boost it will provide to ethanol and corn growers here in Iowa and across the country. Please join Gold-Eagle Cooperative and CORN, LP in supporting Iowa farmers and the ethanol industry by supporting the Summit Carbon Solutions project.
