North Dakota utility regulators will reconsider their denial of a siting permit for a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline
North Dakota Public Service Commission Chairman Randy Christmann, right, begins a meeting of the commission at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D., Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. At left is Commissioner Sheri Haugen-Hoffart. The panel, in a 2-1 vote, approved a request by Summit Carbon Solutions to reconsider the commission's Aug. 4 decision to deny a siting permit for the company's proposed 320-mile route in North Dakota. The leg is part of Summit's proposed $5.
Denying Summit's request would have meant the company would have to reapply, with a monthslong process that would start all over again without any of the information in the current case, including lengthy testimony. Supporters view carbon capture projects such as Summit's as a combatant of climate change, with lucrative, new federal tax incentives and billions from Congress for such carbon capture efforts. Opponents question the technology's effectiveness at scale and the need for potentially huge investments over cheaper renewable energy sources.
“We will decide the hearing schedule, how limited it is, and we will decide what the issues to be considered are,” Christmann said.Summit applied in October 2022, followed by several public hearings over following months before the panel's Aug. 4 decision.