by Dan Burns

Aug 27, 2024, 7:30 AM

Summit carbon pipeline scam takes another hit

Actually all of these carbon pipeline plans are scams by any reasonable assessment.

“They actually increase carbon dioxide emissions by doing this, in addition to increasing air pollution,” he said, referencing a study he conducted in 2019 that does the math on the lifecycle CO2 emissions of various carbon capture scenarios. Even when CCS is powered by wind, (researcher Mark) Jacobson said it’s not worth doing, from a climate perspective. “If you just used wind to replace coal in the first place, you’d get a higher reduction in CO2 emissions,” he said.

And oil giants themselves have been hedging on the technology for years, despite marketing its potential. When the Environmental Protection Agency proposed requiring that power plants install CCS in its rules for power plants, for example, both fossil fuel companies and utilities expressed far less faith in the technology in their public comments on the rule than they have in their ads about carbon capture. In Exxon’s public comment, the company encouraged the agency to reduce its requirements around capture efficiency from 95 percent to 75 percent, which is more in line with the actual performance of existing CCS projects.
(Drilled)

Getting back on point, here:

In a significant ruling on Thursday, the South Dakota Supreme Court determined that Summit Carbon Solutions, the company behind a proposed carbon-capture pipeline, has not yet proven it should be allowed to seize private land for public use through eminent domain. The ruling is a major victory for landowners opposed to the project…

Summit will return to the lower courts to further argue its case while opponents continue to rally political and public support against using eminent domain for the project. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for both the future of carbon capture and the rights of private landowners across the country.
(Environment + Energy Leader)

I couldn’t find anything specifically about how this could interact with the November ballot initiative on this issue. I think the Court would ultimately take precedence when all is said and done. I also couldn’t find any polling on the initiative. Incidentally, SD voters will also have another chance to legalize marijuana in the state.