Delaware County Landowners Opposed to Proposed Carbon Capture Pipeline

Janelle Tucker August 23, 2022Last Updated: August 23, 2022

2 minutes read

Delaware County landowners are overwhelmingly opposed to a carbon capture pipeline that is proposed to come through their properties.

A company called Navigator CO2 is proposing the Heartland Greenway project – which is 1,300 miles of new liquid CO2 pipeline in the Midwest – with over 800 miles here in Iowa, passing through 33 Iowa counties. It’s designed to capture carbon dioxide emissions produced by industrial facilities, including ethanol plants like the one in Dyersville. Navigator is seeking non-exclusive 50-foot permanent easements on farmland along the route, with the pipe to be buried several feet below the ground’s surface.

The pipeline was originally proposed to travel from Dyersville south through eastern Delaware County down into Linn County, with those affected landowners contacted last winter – but the route has now changed to travel west through Delaware County from Dyersville north of Earlville and Manchester into northern Buchanan County and the southwest tip of Fayette County.

So why the change? Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for Navigator CO2, explains the reason for the pipeline’s new route.

Affected landowners were recently notified by letter, but other than that, have had very little information about the project and how it will impact them. Navigator plans to file a petition for a permit for this project with the Iowa Utilities Board, but the first step of the process is holding public informational meetings. Just like last December, a meeting was held in Manchester at The Gathering Place on Monday, with over two hundred residents attending, many stepping up to the microphone to voice their concerns and opinions – and they were NOT in favor of a pipeline coming through their farmland.

Now that the public informational meeting was held in Manchester (and also Independence on Monday night), Navigator will start meeting and negotiating with area landowners.

So what happens if a landowner says “No, I don’t want a pipeline coming through my land”? We asked Navigator what happens if a negotiation is NOT reached.

Landowners can file an objection or provide comments through the Iowa Utilities Board. Comments can be submitted online at iub.iowa.gov – select “File a Comment or Objection in an Open Docket” from the Quick Links menu options (you can find the direct link here at https://efs.iowa.gov/efs/ShowCommentsAndObjections.do?displayScreen=create). You can also mail your written comments or objections to the Iowa Utilities Board at 1375 E. Court Ave, Des Moines, IA 50319.

And if you missed Monday’s public information meetings, a virtual meeting will be held September 21st at 6 pm. You can find more information here.

If all goes according to their plan, Navigator is hoping to file their petition with the Iowa Utilities Board in October and kick off construction in 2024.