Here's what to know about Navigator CO2, carbon capture pipeline project in Des Moines County
Des Moines County is set to be a part of Navigator's Heartland Greenway carbon capture and sequestration system, and with it will come 9.31 miles of pipeline.
The company announced this week that it entered a 20-year agreement with Big River Resources, which has ethanol plants in West Burlington and Dyersville in Iowa, as well as one in Galva, Illinois.
The letter of intent between Navigator, Big River Resources and Big River United Energy, a Dyersville-based joint venture company of which Big River Resources manages, means construction of the pipeline will begin in 2024, so long as Navigator is able to obtain the necessary permits.
Navigator was one of three carbon sequestration companies vying for a contract with Big River. The other two were Midwest-based Summit Carbon Solutions and Canada-based Wolf Midstream. .
Previously: Des Moines County Board of Supervisors consider three carbon capture pipeline inspectors
“Big River is excited to advance our collaboration with Navigator, a leader and expert in the capture, transportation and storage of the biogenic CO2 produced at our ethanol facilities,” Big River Director of Trading and Risk Management David Zimmermann said in a press release. “The resulting reductions in lifecycle carbon intensity at our plants will allow us to enhance our leadership position in the push toward decarbonization of transportation fuels."
Iowa Fertilizer Co. in Wever also has selected Navigator as its partner.
Expected to be operational by 2025, the pipeline will transport 1 million metric tons of CO2 per year that otherwise would have been released into the atmosphere to Illinois' Mount Simon, a sandstone formation that already is home to a carbon sequestration site.
"On an annual basis, plants such as the one in West Burlington put out about 350,000 tons of CO2 annually," Big River Resources CEO Jim Leiting told The Hawk Eye in December. "A plant pulls carbon dioxide out of the air for its growth, and so here's the case where all these bushels of corn that we're processing, that carbon dioxide was removed from the air as the crop grew, and so now it's concentrated in the grain, and as we process the grain, that carbon dioxide with fermentation is concentrated up.
"By having it concentrated, it gives an opportunity to capture that carbon dioxide that's been captured by that cornfield and sequester it so it doesn't go back to the atmosphere."
Carbon capture pipelines draws criticism in affected counties
Despite its removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, carbon capture has drawn skepticism from Iowa residents and property owners whose land falls in the pipeline corridor and would be subject to eminent domain, as well as from governing boards concerned over lack of EMS services in rural areas.
As of noon Friday, about 135 objections and nearly a dozen opposition letters have been filed with the Iowa Utilities Board in relation to Navigator's pipeline. Neither the Lee or Des Moines County boards of supervisors have written objections.
Among those that have is the Poweshiek County Board of Supervisors.
"The Poweshiek County Board of Supervisors have heard from many of the landowners who live in the proposed Navigator Pipeline area and some who live in small towns that would be affected," the letter states. "Each and every one is against the pipeline going thru (sic) their land and under their rivers."
The board further urged the IUB to deny Navigator's hazardous liquid pipeline permit due to lack of fire and ambulance services in the event of a pipeline leak.
"Our hazmat comes from Waterloo so local volunteers need to wait until hazmat arrives," the supervisors wrote. "There is a lack of people to respond."
Previously: Des Moines County supervisors learn about proposed Navigator Heartland Greenway carbon capture pipeline
Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, vice president of government and public affairs for Navigator, said that while carbon capture technology is relatively new to Iowa, where existing pipelines carry combustible materials, it is not new technology.
"It is very distinctly different than pipelines that have come prior," Burns-Thompson told The Hawk Eye Tuesday. "This is not a crude pipeline or a natural gas pipeline into something that's providing a direct value benefit to ... industries that are incredibly important to the framework of this state, especially the agriculture industry."
In gas form, CO2 is an asphyxiate that can cause headache, dizziness, drowsiness, rapid breathing and heart rate, unconsciousness and even death.
But that gas will be pressurized into a liquid state before it is transported. Because it does not contain oxygen, it is not combustible.
The Poweshiek County Board of Supervisors also argued that the pipeline will damage farm ground and tile, thus lowering the affected land's Corn Suitability Rating, as well as farmers' income, and loss of availability of land, some of which has been in families for generations, upon which landowners can build.
"Some land has been in the family for 100-15- years," the supervisors wrote. "Why can a Texas-based company or private individual be able to take the land when it is not for the public good?"
Use of eminent domain
Whether eminent domain should be used for carbon pipelines was brought up during a recent discussion with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture candidate John Norwood, who serves on the County Real Estate Condemnation Commission, which entails review of eminent domain.
"I don't think it qualifies as public use," Norwood told The Hawk Eye Wednesday. "It's not a utility, and it's not a public right-of-way, so it doesn't meet the definition of a use that qualifies for eminent domain."
Under Navigator's plan, property owners along the corridor will be asked for a voluntary easement of property, the terms of which will be negotiated upon between Navigator and the property owner. Should the property owner refuse to enter into a voluntary easement, use of the land by Navigator may be acquired through eminent domain. Under both circumstances, the property owner will retain ownership of the land.
Navigator will reimburse farmers for 100% of resulting yield loss the first year, 80% the second year and 60% the third year, but there will be no further compensation.
During an information meeting held by Navigator in Des Moines County in December, several landowners expressed concern over property damage.
More: Navigator CO2 Venture's Heartland Greenway pipeline meets skepticism in Des Moines County
Brothers-in-law Ron Lair and Jerry Landrum, who own neighboring properties south of Danville, the pipeline will be an unwelcome addition to their land.
"I ain't a big fan of the pipelines. Not too many of us are," Landrum said. "They're going to go within 500 yards of my house."
Lair expressed concerns about how the pipeline, which will be placed five feet underground, will be installed through limestone, which his property contains, as well as tree loss.
"They're going to take nice great big oak trees out of my property that I don't want to lose," Lair said. "They're 100-year-old trees and it's going to take 100 years for them to come back."
Burns-Thompson said the company will try to work with landowners to ensure minimal damage to property.
Norwood said many property owners with whom he has spoken prefer the windmill model, through which landowners receive an annual payment. He further suggested carbon sequestration companies pay counties.
"I think any county that's impacted by the pipeline should get a payment," Norwood said. "That pipeline might cross county ground and the county has to pick up the pieces on the (environmental health and safety) side of things. I've heard these stories where they don't even have basic ambulance service. It's volunteer-driven if they do. It might take half-an-hour to get somebody to the hospital."
He also spoke in favor of applying a wheeling fee similar to what electric companies must pay states for the transfer of electricity and said that money could go into a carbon mitigation fund to be put toward developing technology that puts carbon back in the soil, thus improving soil health.
Burns-Thompson indicated returning captured carbon to the soil is not out of the question down the road, especially because the designated storage space, while abundant, is not infinite.
Concerns about the future of ethanol
The automobile industry's shift toward electric vehicles has drawn skepticism about continuing to invest in ethanol.
Still, ethanol and the corn needed to produce it are vital to Iowa's economy, and carbon capture technology provides a means to add value to that sector in the form of carbon credits.
"Farmers in Iowa and really across the Midwest are what built ethanol to begin with," Burns-Thompson said. "Carbon is a quantifiable metric and is going to continue to be an increasing metric for businesses and a quantifiable value metric to the products and services that folks are bringing to market, and that portfolio will continue to grow. Carbon is here to stay and businesses that can be competitive under that carbon valuation or carbon exercise will be the ones that can continue to be competitive in the long-term as well."
More: Farm and Food: Big Ethanol sees electric cars as a market maker, not a market taker
Norwood noted that some engines, such as those for ships, trains and aircraft, are more difficult to electrify and therefore could provide a potential market for ethanol in the future. He also noted that ethanol is not the only thing produced at ethanol plants. They also produce fats, which in turn are used to produce animal feed.
While the pipeline now is only targeting fertilizer and ethanol plants due to the pure quality of CO2 they produce, Burns-Thompson said Navigator will be looking for additional carbon capture opportunities in the future.
How to file an objection or comment
The IUB will vote on whether to permit the pipeline during a public hearing in the future.
To file a comment or objection to the Heartland Greenway proposal, visit iub.iowa.gov, click "File a Comment or Objection in an Open Docket" and use docket no. HLP-2021-0003.
The docket number for the Summit Carbon Solutions proposal is HLP-2021-0001.
The full slide deck presented by Navigator during its informational meetings can be found at heartlandgreenway.com.
Michaele Niehaus covers business, development, environment and agriculture for The Hawk Eye. She can be reached at mniehaus@thehawkeye.com.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Big River Resources partners with Navigator CO2 Ventures
