Environment & Agriculture
Summit permit process in North Dakota has reached ‘uncharted waters’
It’s not yet clear how utility regulators in North Dakota will proceed with their reconsideration of a pipeline permit for Summit Carbon Solutions. The state’s Public Service Commission granted the company’s reconsideration request with a split vote on Friday. It had unanimously denied Summit’s permit application in August because the company didn’t sufficiently show that […]
Feds OK the killing of some reintroduced Colorado wolves, putting Dec. 31 deadline in reach
Federal wildlife officials on Friday announced they will grant Colorado a key exemption that paves the way for the state to reintroduce gray wolves to the Western Slope by the end of this year, while still allowing “lethal take” of the endangered animals in some circumstances. In a final environmental impact statement on the state’s […]
Carbon pipeline company has not ‘taken any state off the map’ after SD permit rejection
A recently failed permit application is not necessarily the end of a carbon capture pipeline company’s goal of building in South Dakota and four other states, according to a company spokesperson. “We have not taken any state off the map,” Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, of Navigator CO2, told South Dakota Searchlight in an interview Friday. The South […]
Nebraska might push to clarify 1889 state law on foreign land ownership
LINCOLN — Nebraska has had a law on the books since 1889 limiting foreign ownership and leases of land, an expert on agricultural law told the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee on Friday. But state lawmakers never clarified how they wanted to enforce the law, which agency would enforce it or what penalty would be levied for […]
Feds pledge more than $1 billion to plant trees in cities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced hundreds of grants that total about $1.13 billion to plant new trees and maintain them in cities across the country. Tom Vilsack, the federal agriculture secretary and former governor of Iowa, traveled to Cedar Rapids Thursday to highlight the spending, which is being funded through last year’s Inflation […]
Rastetter testimony sought for evidence of Summit’s ‘anticompetitive’ agreements
Bruce Rastetter, the influential co-founder of Summit Carbon Solutions, should be subpoenaed to testify to state regulators in support of his company’s carbon dioxide pipeline proposal, according to the daughter of a landowner who is affected by the project. The daughter, Kerry Hirth, has filed a motion with the Iowa Utilities Board seeking to compel […]
South Dakota denies Summit permit; both carbon pipelines proposed in SD now rejected
FORT PIERRE, South Dakota — Some landowners who’ve been fighting against a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline shed tears of joy Monday as South Dakota utility regulators denied a permit application from Summit Carbon Solutions. The decision means both carbon pipelines currently proposed in eastern South Dakota have been rejected in their first attempts to gain […]
Pillen and trade group head to Tokyo on weeklong South Korea-Japan mission
LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen and a trade-focused delegation are heading to Tokyo, the second leg of a visit to South Korea and Japan. The group, which arrived in Seoul Tuesday, aims to promote Nebraska agriculture and ways to grow the state’s clean hydrogen sector. Included in the mission that is to continue through Tuesday […]
South Dakota commission staff files motion to deny Summit’s carbon pipeline permit
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission’s staff has filed a motion to deny Summit Carbon Solution’s application to construct a carbon dioxide pipeline, citing non-compliance with ordinances in Brown, McPherson, Minnehaha and Spink Counties. The news comes after Summit withdrew its request to have the commission overrule county ordinances. Another company trying to build a […]
Nebraska Investment Council takes some investment management away from BlackRock
GRETNA — The Nebraska Investment Council voted Thursday to transfer some state investment management away from BlackRock, a giant firm that some conservatives have criticized for considering environmental, social and governance factors in investing. It marked the second time in recent months that the Investment Council has ordered changes due to concerns over so-called ESG […]
South Dakota regulators deny permit for Navigator CO2 carbon pipeline
Editor’s note:This story has been extensively updated with additional details. PIERRE — In a unanimous decision, the three-member South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday rejected Navigator CO2’s application for a permit to construct the Heartland Greenway carbon capture pipeline in South Dakota. The commission also unanimously refused the company’s request to preempt county pipeline […]
First fully electric, autonomous tractor in the Midwest unveiled in Missouri
The University of Missouri rolled out its first all-electric, autonomous tractor Tuesday, calling it a “revolutionary piece of technology” that could pioneer new agricultural practices and make farming more efficient and sustainable. The Monarch MK-V tractor, bought with grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the Midwest’s first fully autonomous tractor, according to […]