A controversial CO2 pipeline project, which is planned for part of central Illinois, is being put on a temporary hold in Iowa.
On Friday, Navigator Heartland Greenway filed the request with the Iowa Utilities Board. It also asked the board to cancel an October 9th scheduling conference.
The Heartland Greenway project includes the capture, transport, and storage of emissions from facilities in five states, including Iowa and Illinois. One leg of the pipeline would collect CO2 from an ethanol plant in Galva, ad it would cross the Mississippi River north of Keokuk.
In central Illinois, the pipeline would stretch through several counties, including Scott, Morgan, Sangamon, Christian and Montgomery.
Navigator's $3.4 billion project would transport CO2 from ethanol and fertilizer plants from Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and Illinois to sites in Christian and Montgomery counties, where it would be pumped and stored far underground, a process known as sequestration.
The company says the geology of the region makes it well suited for storing the carbon dioxide. It's touted as a way to reduce emissions, which lead to global warming.
But critics worry about environmental contamination, including pipeline leaks.
In asking the Iowa regulators to "pause" its application, Navigator says it's reviewing the proposed pipeline route in Iowa. And it wants to wait for a decision next winter on its permit application before the Illinois Commerce Commission. If approved, that could allow for eminent domain for pipeline construction in places where landowners won't provide easements.
The Illinois agency will hold evidentiary hearings on the Heartland Greenway proposal October 17th through the 19th in Springfield. A decision could come early next year.
Here are the details from the ICC website:
https://illinois.webex.com/meet/leslie.haynes Access code: 804 305 489 Or join by phone: +1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Chicago) or +1-415-655-0002 US Toll.)
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