A pipeline company filed hundreds of lawsuits against landowners. Now its project is threatened

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🗞️ Driving the news: Summit Carbon Solutions’ $9 billion carbon pipeline project is facing a critical setback in South Dakota after the company filed 156 eminent domain lawsuits against local landowners
• Mounting backlash led the state to enact a law in March 2025 banning eminent domain for carbon pipelines, placing the project’s future in jeopardy despite regulatory progress in neighboring states

🔭 The context: The proposed 2,500-mile pipeline aims to transport CO₂ from 57 ethanol plants across five Midwest states for underground storage in North Dakota, enabling ethanol producers to lower emissions and access federal tax incentives
• Although supported by industry stakeholders and some state governments, Summit’s aggressive legal strategy—suing hundreds of landowners to secure land access—sparked rural outrage and political consequences in South Dakota, where opposition united conservative farmers and environmentalists

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Carbon capture pipelines are touted as a tool for decarbonizing heavy-emitting industries like ethanol production
• However, their rollout raises critical questions about land rights, rural equity, and public consent
• The South Dakota case underscores the social and political risks of pursuing climate infrastructure without robust stakeholder engagement, potentially undermining trust in carbon removal as a climate solution

⏭️ What's next: With its permit paused and legal pathway restricted in South Dakota, Summit is focusing efforts in states like Iowa and North Dakota where it has secured partial approvals
• Nonetheless, legal challenges, community resistance, and changing federal climate policy under President Trump may continue to hinder momentum
• Summit maintains it still sees “a path forward” in South Dakota but faces steep political and reputational challenges ahead

💬 One quote: “They did this all to themselves. Their legal plan was, ‘We will force them into submission because the lawsuits will break them.’” — Brian Jorde, attorney representing landowners

📈 One stat: Summit filed 232 lawsuits against landowners across three states, including 83 eminent domain suits in just two days in South Dakota in April 2023

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