South Dakota has stopped huge green energy land grip – Watt gets along with it?

From the Daily Caller

Audrey Streb
Contributors

Republican South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden signed a bill Thursday that prohibits the use of well-known areas of carbon dioxide pipelines to ensure land conservation for farmers across the state.

The bill (HB 1052) prohibits the government from seizing land from the C02 pipeline. This puts the fate of Summit Carbon Solutions at a potential $9 billion, and the 2,500-mile pipeline project could be suspended in the air, as South Dakota is a key player in the program. Summit's pipeline is to transport C02 from five Midwest states to an underground storage location in South Dakota, known as the world's largest carbon capture project. (Related: 'No, thank you': Red state regulators reject green pipelines that many rural landowners object)

“The landowners in South Dakota strongly believe that the involuntary easement of the proposed CO2 pipeline that violates their freedoms and property rights violates their freedoms and property rights,” Roden wrote in a letter to the Legislature and the people of South Dakota. “I have said many times that the summit requires trust from the landowners of South Dakota. Unfortunately, once the trust is lost, it is difficult to regain it.”

“This is my public information to Summit Carbon or anyone else who wants to abuse our South Dakota. Your lawsuit; your threat; your intimidation against our people, our counties and grassroots commissioners is not welcome.”

“Unfortunately, despite our approval in Iowa, North Dakota and Minnesota, South Dakota changed the rules in the game,” summit spokesman Sabrina Zenor said in a statement.

“The governor has made it clear that HB 1052 is targeting a company – Summit Carbon Solution,” Zenor continued. “Unfortunately, a legislation is made around a company rather than addressing broader infrastructure and economic policies.”

“It's definitely a win for the little guy,” Steve Milloy, a senior law researcher at the School of Energy and Environmental Law, told DCNF.

“Carbon is economically, politically and physically impossible,” he said, calling carbon capture “completely false”, “the only reason is that oil companies can get taxpayer subsidies for it.” (Related: DEM GOV logo bill will brake on green energy technology driven by Biden Admin)

Milloy notes how carbon capture is expensive, unpopular domain names and underground storage issues make it a very difficult practice. He also pointed out that the government can only seize the land for public use, and that the C02 pipeline has no “legal public use.”

The author also mentioned the rupture of the Mississippi C02 pipeline and the 1986 disaster in Lake Cameroon, which destroyed both land and livestock. The explosion of the Cameroon pipeline even killed 1,700 people.

“So, it’s good for South Dakota,” Miloy said.

Summit Carbon Solutions did not respond to DCNF's request for timely comment.

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