SCS has secured nearly 90 percent of necessary property easements

By
Lynell Morgan
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Pipeline map 2
If completed, there will be almost 27 miles of carbon pipeline (blue line) put in place by Summit Carbon Solutions. Nearly 90 percent of the necessary property easements have been secured as of mid-June. The map shows just one mainline valve (red triangle) to be placed in Antelope County. This and other information was shared with the county commissioners earlier this month. Source: Summit Carbon Solutions

By Dennis Morgan

Co-Publisher

Meeting earlier this month, the Antelope County Board of Commissioners were briefed on the progress being made with the creation of a carbon pipeline to capture and transport underground carbon dioxide from Iowa across Nebraska and into the Dakotas.

Summit Carbon Solutions’ (SCS) Project Manager Brent Niece, along with Ben Fuller, spoke for approximately 10 minutes about the current status of securing property easements here and along the proposed route to a destination in North Dakota.

They indicated that SCS is nearing completion of obtaining property easements in Antelope County, having reached close to 90 percent of easements needed.

It was noted that SCS has six ethanol partners. They are Husker Ag, Plainview; Norfolk GNS LLC, Norfolk; Great Plains, York; Green Plains, Wood River; Green Plains, Central City; and Green Plains, Atkinson.

If the project gets the ‘green light,’ there will be just over 318 miles of anticipated pipeline routes in Nebraska. The pipeline would come from Iowa into Dakota County to a location in Madison County. In Antelope County, the current proposed route would go northwest from a location in Pierce County and enter into Holt County at a location just north of Highway 20.

However, the pipeline route has yet to be finalized due to the process of securing property easements. 

So far, landowners in Antelope County have received $4.3 million for property easements.  

Among the information shared with the board during their brief presentation were estimates based on the cost of construction and operation to show the potential impact on Antelope County. Among them were:

• Total Investment in Antelope County — $34,521,722

• New annual Property Taxes — $767,623

Construction Phase (Nebraska)

• Total Investment in Antelope County — $541 million

• State & Local Taxes paid by SCS — $41 million

• Total Labor Income — $249 million

• Average Wage of Employees — $56,010

Operations Phase (Nebraska)

• Annual Expenditures — $29 million

• State & Local Taxes Paid by SCS — $16 million

• Average Wage of Employees — $106,026

For more information on the county commissioners’ proceedings, please see this week’s Elgin Review.