ROCK RAPIDS—The board of supervisors discussed options for inspection services Tuesday as Lyon County prepares for the possibility of a pipeline that would run through its borders.
The Midwest Carbon Express is a proposed infrastructure project that would transport gaseous carbon dioxide from ethanol plants in Iowa and four other Midwest states to North Dakota where it would be stored underground. Proponents say the carbon capture would good for the economy while detractors say the carbon capture project does not protect the environment as advertised.
Lyon County supervisors did not make a judgment on the pipeline, but discussed the engineering inspection services it would need if the project were approved.
Tuesday’s meeting included a brief presentation from DGR Engineering, the Rock Rapids firm Lyon County hired for the Dakota Access oil pipeline project.
On Sept. 14, the board also heard from a competitor, ISG. The Sioux Falls, SD, company is looking to service all county-level inspection bids for the Midwest Carbon Express.
DGR manager Justin Christensen pitched his company as the tried-and-true choice.
DGR Engineering manager Justin Christensen pitches his company services at the Lyon County Board of Supervisors meeting Oct. 12. He said his Rock Rapids firm’s history of working for the county makes it the best choice to inspect the Midwest Carbon Express pipeline.
Evan Del Val of ISG presents his firm’s inspection services at the Sept. 14 Lyon County Board of Supervisors meeting. He said his Sioux Falls, SD, company is looking to contract all of the county-level oversight for the Midwest Carbon Express, a yet-to-be approved carbon dioxide pipeline.
“We’d do something pretty similar to this project,” he said of Dakota Access. “It’s pretty similar in scope. It’s running the same path, same length. All things — essentially, from the aspect that we look at — are the same.”
Christensen said his company is looking for a similar contract as the previous project but is open to negotiation.
While county boards set the terms of inspection work, the pipeline company foots the bill. The Midwest Carbon Express is operated by Summit Carbon Solutions, an offshoot of Summit Agricultural Group, in Ames.
Supervisor Josh Feucht asked if DGR is looking to serve other counties. He said he wants to use the same services as nearby counties, especially Sioux, to ensure continuity. Christensen said he is scheduled to attend the next Sioux County board meeting on Oct. 26.
“From my standpoint, I’d like to see us team up with the same as Sioux County, what they’re doing, so we have the same company doing both,” Feucht said. “It seems like it would flow better and work better.”
ISG centered its bid around that desire for uniformity. Evan Del Val represented the company at the Sept. 14 meeting.
“The pipeline doesn’t pay attention to county boundaries, but your inspection staff will have to,” Del Val said. “From just a coordination point, a consistency point, there’s a lot of value in having the same as your neighbors.”
He added that ISG already has sign-ups from several jurisdictions including O’Brien and Cherokee counties. The company was Sioux County’s contractor for Dakota Access but did not have a contract for the Midwest Carbon Express at the time of the presentation.
All the agreements are contingent on the project’s approval. Summit is looking to get the green light from state-level authorities in early 2023. In the meantime, activist groups such as the Sierra Club are opposing the pipeline and lobbying the Iowa Utilities Board to shut it down.