South Dakota Farmers Union Applauds PUC’s action, Calls for Additional Protections

Huron, S.D. –  September 5 the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) rejected Navigator CO2’s application for a permit to construct the Heartland Greenway carbon capture pipeline. The company’s request sought to disregard county pipeline setback ordinances. The PUC’s unanimous decision pointed to the company’s lack of transparency in disclosing carbon dioxide plume modeling and untimely notices to landowners. The project’s intended stretch of 110 miles would have traversed eastern South Dakota including the counties of Brookings, Moody, Minnehaha, Lincoln and Turner. Similar actions have been issued in North Dakota against the foreign backed private company Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. The PUC will make a decision regarding Summit Pipelines permit at a hearing scheduled for Monday, September 11.