CASSELTON, N.D. (KFGO) – Area landowners gathered in Casselton Thursday night to learn more about the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, a 2,000-mile proposed carbon dioxide pipeline that would cut through much of the upper Midwest, including North and South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. The meeting was the latest in a series of informational sessions the Dakota Resource Council has been hosting around the state. Organizers say they have a number of safety concerns about the project, which would be by far the largest of its kind in the U.S.
A coalition of concerned landowners on the proposed route say Summit is poised to make up to $1 billion annually off the project once it’s complete, while landowners are being asked to sign easements for a 99-year lease for a one time payment in order to allow the pipeline to travel through their land without any assurances of indemnification.
They want the ability to negotiate for better easement terms. Todd McMichael, a spokesperson for the coalition, says they want some assurances from Governor Doug Burgum that they will have that option, calling on Burgum to reiterate his earlier statements that eminent domain cannot be used for the Summit project.
Burgum has been major proponent of the pipeline. Last year he called for North Dakota to become carbon neutral by 2030, and Summit project is a critical step toward achieving that goal.
