Summit Carbon Solutions announces progress in Iowa

By Summit Carbon Solutions | February 02, 2023

The momentum behind Summit Carbon Solutions’ carbon capture, transportation, and storage project continues to grow as Iowa landowners have voluntarily signed easement agreements accounting for two-thirds of the company’s proposed project route in the state. In total, 1,050 landowners across 29 Iowa counties have now signed 1,840 easement agreements with the company.

“Every day, more and more Iowa landowners are signing easement agreements with Summit Carbon Solutions because they know it will ensure the long-term viability of the ethanol industry and drive growth in our ag economy, commodity prices, and land values,” said Summit Carbon Solutions’ CEO Lee Blank. “The Summit team along with our 12 Iowa ethanol plant partners are tremendously pleased that Iowa landowners have signed easement agreements totaling two-thirds of our project in the state, which represents a significant step in advancing this critical investment in our infrastructure.”

The future of ethanol:

The overwhelming majority of ethanol plants across Iowa and the Midwest have joined carbon capture projects like Summit Carbon Solutions. These investments will allow these ethanol producers to sell their product at a premium in states and countries that have adopted low carbon fuel standards. Recognizing the enormous stakes around this economic opportunity, the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association recently noted that sequestering carbon is “a matter of life and death” for ethanol manufacturers.

“Some organizations like the Sierra Club and Food & Water Watch oppose carbon capture projects because they want to see the end of the ethanol industry along with its ability to purchase nearly 60 percent of the corn grown in our state,” said Summit Carbon Solutions’ Vice President of Government Affairs Jake Ketzner. “Summit Carbon Solutions, our 12 ethanol plant partners across Iowa, and more than 1,000 Iowa landowners take the opposite view and believe investments in carbon capture are essential to ensuring the competitiveness of the ethanol industry today and long-term.”

Summit Carbon Solutions by the numbers:

Summit Carbon Solutions Investment (Construction):

Iowa: $987 million

Average by County: $31 million average investment per Iowa county

Jobs Created:

Construction: 11,000+

Operations: 1,100+

New Property Taxes Paid by Summit Carbon Solutions

Average by County (Iowa): $1.2 million per county

Miles of Pipeline in Active Operation:

United States: 3.3 million miles

Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska: 173,000 miles