Polarizing Pipeline Law Is on the Ballot in Major Corn State
A proposed $8.9-billion carbon-capture pipeline that has polarized the US Corn Belt is facing one of its biggest obstacles yet: Election Day.
When South Dakota voters cast their presidential-year ballots on Nov. 5, they’ll also decide whether to reject a law passed earlier this year that’s viewed by opponents as pro-pipeline. If the measure is scrapped, it would be a major blow in a series of setbacks for Summit Carbon Solutions’ project, with critics hoping it could be the death knell they’ve been waiting for.
Landowners already told a rival company “to pack up and get out of South Dakota, and we’re going to tell Summit Carbon Solutions to do the same,” rancher Amanda Radke said at a referendum-related event Monday night in the South Dakota city of Watertown. Critics say a repeal of the law would restore authority to local communities as opposed to consolidating control over pipelines in the state capital.
Summit firmly denies it would throw in the towel on the roughly 2,500-mile pipeline expected to run through Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas if voters throw out the South Dakota law. Proponents of the measure say the long-delayed pipeline is crucial for ensuring corn remains America’s biggest and most profitable farm crop by keeping ethanol in the political conversation as other fuel sources get cleaner.
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/polarizing_pipeline_law_is_on_the_ballot_in_major_corn_state-25-oct-2024-178542-article/
= new reply since forum marked as read
