Updated May 1, 2024
Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC (Summit Carbon), and its subsidiary, SCS Carbon Transport, LLC (SCS), are seeking permits from the IUB to construct, operate, and maintain hazardous liquid pipelines (HLPs) for the transportation of liquefied carbon dioxide throughout Iowa. The companies filed separate requests on three dates, identified by IUB docket numbers, to inform potentially affected landowners of their proposed projects:
HLP-2021-0001 - Summit Carbon filed a petition (application) in January 2022 to construct, maintain, and operate 687 miles of of 6- to 24-inch diameter pipeline. The project, known as the Midwest Carbon Express, is the main pipeline proposed by Summit Carbon.
HLP-2023-0004 - Summit Carbon filed on June 19, 2023, a request for informational meetings in Floyd and Mitchell counties regarding an additional 31-mile, 6-inch diameter pipeline that would connect to the Midwest Carbon Express.
HLP-2024-0001 through HLP-2024-0014 - SCS Carbon Transport filed a request on March 4, 2024, to hold public informational meetings in 22 counties regarding a proposal to construct 340 miles of 6- and 8-inch diameter pipelines. The company proposes to build 18 trunk and lateral pipelines that would connect POET Bioprocessing (POET) and Valero Renewables (Valero) facilities to the proposed Midwest Carbon Express. On March 11, 2024, the company filed an additional request to hold a 23rd informational meeting.
Informational meetings for POET-Valero trunks and laterals
SCS filed proposed informational meeting dates for April 22 to May 9, 2024, for the project. The IUB responded in the dockets March 14, requiring the company to select alternative dates, with a recommendation that they be scheduled no earlier than June 2024.
Status of related dockets
Docket No. HLP-2021-0001
Summit Carbon's initial request for a permit was filed in Docket No. HLP-2021-0001. The petition (application) and initial petition exhibits were filed January 28, 2022. Informational meetings have been held and a public hearing concluded on November 8, 2023.
On November 8, 2023, the IUB closed the evidentiary record at the hearing in Docket No. HLP-2021-0001 regarding Summit Carbonβs petition for hazardous liquid pipeline permit. On January 19, 2024, parties filed their simultaneous reply briefs on this matter. On April 25, 2024, the IUB issued an order addressing recent motions filed with the IUB to reopen the record and consolidate dockets.
The IUB is currently reviewing the record and will base its final decision on Iowa law and the evidence, testimony, exhibits, and written comments filed in the docket. In the final decision order, the IUB can:
- grant the permit,
- grant the permit with modifications, or
- deny the permit.
There is no deadline for the IUB to issue its final decision order.
All material filed in the docket can be found in the IUB's electronic filing system (EFS) under Docket No. HLP-2021-0001.
Docket No. HLP-2023-0004
Public informational meetings have been held in Floyd and Mitchell counties, as required. Summit Carbon has not yet filed its permit application.
All material filed in the docket can be found in EFS under Docket No. HLP-2023-0004.
Permit Process
The IUB has authority over the routing and siting of hazardous liquid pipelines in Iowa. When a company wants to build a pipeline to transport a hazardous liquid, it must first get a permit from the IUB. Requirements can be found in Iowa Code chapter 479B. Public informational meetings are the first step in the process. A company cannot file an application until at least 30 days after an informational meeting has been held in the affected county.
Comments, objections, and letters of support
You may submit information in the docket by any of these methods:
- Online - Use the IUBβs Open Docket Comment Form. You can also choose whether to receive email notifications when there are filings in the docket.
- By email - Send to customer@iub.iowa.gov.
- In writing - Submit written comments to Iowa Utilities Board, Attn: Customer Service, 1375 E. Court Ave., Des Moines, IA 50319-0069.
Be sure to include the docket number on your comments.
All written comments, objections, and letters of support are filed in the docket and become part of the public record. This information is made available to the Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA), a division of the Department of Justice, which represents the public interest in cases before the IUB.
The IUB does not respond to or address written comments, but they are reviewed and when the IUB makes its decision in the case.
Additional Information
Common Questions for affected landowners (regarding the public evidentiary hearing in Docket No. HLP-2021-0001)
IUB concludes public evidentiary hearing for proposed Summit Carbon pipeline (News release, November 9, 2023, in Docket No. HLP-2021-0001)