Plans to construct Navigator CO2 pipeline scrapped

By Editor | October 24, 2023 |

By DAVID CAMPHOUSE

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Navigator CO2 announced in a press release Friday that it is not moving forward with its plans to construct the planned Heartland Greenway CO2 pipeline project, which would have cut across a portion of Pike County. Once constructed, Heartland Greenway’s goal was to transport 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year from ethanol plants across the Midwest to a sequestration in Christian County. The proposed 1,300 pipeline would have crossed extreme northeast Pike County, near Chambersburg, on its way from South Dakota to the Christian County sequestration site.

Navigator CO2 announced in a press release Friday that it is not moving forward with its plans to construct the planned Heartland Greenway CO2 pipeline project, which would have cut across a portion of Pike County.

Once constructed, Heartland Greenway’s goal was to transport 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year from ethanol plants across the Midwest to a sequestration site in Christian County. The proposed 1,300 mile pipeline would have crossed extreme northeast Pike County, near Chambersburg, on its way from South Dakota to the Christian County sequestration site.

In its Friday press release, Navigator CO2 cited state regulatory processes for the cancellation of the proposed pipeline.

The project hit a major snag in early September when the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission rejected the company’s permit application to build their Navigator Heartland Greenway pipeline after the agency’s hearing process.

Following the rejection by South Dakota, Navigator C02 requested to pause the permitting process in Iowa, and on Oct. 10, the company withdrew its permit application in Illinois.

The proposed pipeline faced opposition over environmental concerns and concerns over the rights of property owners, who were opposed to the pipeline passing through their land.

At the July meeting of the Agriculture Committee of the Pike County Board, Len Wiese, a Pike County property owner that would be affected by the proposed pipeline, spoke in strong opposition to the pipeline project. The pipeline would cross both his farm and his brother’s farm.

Wiese stated that he was concerned by potential hazards that could be posed by the CO2 pipeline.

Following the July Pike County Board meeting, Pike Scott Farm Bureau Board President Kim Curry said that Farm Bureau was not opposed to the concept of the pipeline in principle, but the organization remained concerned about defending the rights of private property owners.

“Farm Bureau has always worked to protect the rights of private landowners,” Curry said.

Concerns over the placement of the CO2 pipeline through western and central Illinois were also shared by some elected officials.

Earlier this year, State Senator Steve McClure proposed a moratorium on C02 pipelines in the state. McClure represented Pike County until the legislative map was redrawn before the last election.

The moratorium, according to language in McClure’s proposed bill, would allow time for the development of updated federal safety standards for the transportation of carbon dioxide.

In Friday’s Navigator CO2 press release announcing the cancellation, the company’s CEO Matt Vining expressed regret over the end of the pipeline project.

“As good stewards of capital and responsible managers of people, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Heartland Greenway project,” Vining stated. “We are disappointed that we will not be able to provide services to our customers and thank them for their continued support.”

“I am proud that throughout this endeavor, our team maintained a collaborative, high integrity, and safety-first approach and we thank them for their tireless efforts. We also thank all the individuals, trade associations, labor organizations, landowners, and elected officials who supported us and carbon capture in the Midwest.”