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Iowa judge acquits pipeline surveyor of trespassing charge
A district court judge in Iowa dismissed a trespassing charge against a carbon dioxide pipeline company’s land surveyor because there was no evidence he was told to avoid the property, according to court records. Stephen James Larsen, 29, of Arlington, South Dakota, was part of a survey group that went onto private property in Dickinson […]
Experts: Predicting CO2 pipeline rupture threats can be extremely costly
DES MOINES — A carbon dioxide plume modeling software did not anticipate the threat a pipeline break in 2020 posed to a small Mississippi town, largely because it did not take land topography into account. That break near Satartia, Mississippi, resulted in emergency responders scrambling to save people from a “green gas” and “rotten egg […]
Feds: Carbon dioxide pipelines are necessary to reduce emissions
Up to 60,000 miles of carbon dioxide pipeline must be installed in the United States to help eliminate the greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a federal engineer. Part of that mileage might come from proposed pipelines that would cross Iowa, Nebraska and other states and transport captured carbon dioxide from ethanol plants for […]
Environmental groups seek Biden moratorium on carbon dioxide pipelines
President Joe Biden should prevent the construction of new carbon dioxide pipelines until changes to federal rules are adopted to increase their safety, opponents of the projects said Thursday. The call for an executive order to stall the projects comes as federal regulators consider changes to pipeline requirements and are set to hold a two-day […]
DeSantis courts Republican voters in weekend trip to Iowa
SIOUX CENTER — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wooed Iowa Republicans on Saturday by drawing parallels between the two states, especially in regard to newly passed legislation that restricts what can be taught in schools and that prohibits gender-affirming surgeries for minors. “The survival of our American experiment requires a revival of the American spirit and […]
Landowner battles against pipelines vary by state
Sprawling Midwestern pipelines that would carry captured carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and other facilities would change little when they cross state lines. The proposals would be constructed the same way in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and the Dakotas — with carbon steel pipe ranging from 4 to 24 inches in diameter with operating pressures […]
Judge: Iowa’s pipeline land survey law is unconstitutional
Iowa state law that allows hazardous liquid pipeline companies access to private land for surveys is unconstitutional because it doesn’t provide compensation for intangible damages suffered by landowners, a district court judge has ruled. “The damages resulting from a landowner’s loss of his right to exclusive use of his property are subjective in the same […]
Iowa House pipeline restrictions clear committee as deadline approaches
An Iowa bill that would require carbon dioxide pipeline companies to get voluntary easements for at least 90% of their routes — among other new requirements — was approved 12-7 by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and will be eligible for consideration beyond this week. “For me, the right and wrong here could not […]
New bill in Iowa House has significant restrictions for carbon dioxide pipelines
The three carbon dioxide pipelines proposed in Iowa are “economic development” projects that do not deserve the full weight of eminent domain to complete them, state Rep. Steven Holt, a Denison Republican, said Thursday. Holt unveiled a new bill that was submitted that morning — and co-sponsored by 21 of his colleagues — that would […]
USDA awards grants and loan guarantees for smaller meat processors in 15 states
In an ongoing effort to diversify the country’s meat processing and create new markets for smaller livestock producers, the federal government is distributing about $3.9 million of grant money and guaranteeing loans that total $5.7 million for more than two dozen projects in 15 states. “We are just in the beginning processes of this,” Tom […]
Thanksgiving holiday renews focus on bird flu, rising costs
Fresh turkeys are more expensive and smaller than usual leading into the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s due, in part, to the deadly and highly transmissible avian influenza that has wracked turkey producers this year. The virus, which is transmitted by wild, migrating birds, has led to the deaths of […]
Two Nebraska plants get a chunk of $73 million awarded by USDA to boost smaller meatpackers
Two Nebraska meat processors are among the first to receive grants — including nearly $20 million awarded to an Omaha packer — that respond to President Joe Biden’s plan to expand capacity of smaller, independent meat and poultry plants. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was at Greater Omaha Packing Co. on Wednesday to announce the […]