So Many Questions

A scientist I am not. A person who cares for the earth I am. My passion is not just wildlife or beautiful areas, but also includes a precious finite resource - our soils.

When I drove past this plant tonight and noticed steam being released to the sky, I wondered how much carbon dioxide was also being discharged. Were critical levels of carbon dioxide venting from the stacks? Have the cumulative levels rising upward been threatening to the environment? If the carbon dioxide is captured, pressurized, piped, and sequestered hundreds of miles away, will our earth habitat be better for it? Really, will we be better for it, or will a limited number of people possibly collect large amounts of money (including taxpayer dollars) at the cost of insult to our soils?

As a curious fellow who reads often, and as a Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner who has had plenty of discussions about how soil is not just dirt, but is its own ecosystem, I am concerned about the impact of burying pipelines that extend between states to deliver carbon dioxide to holes in the ground for “permanent” capture.

If the pipeline construction project has such a minimal impact to the soil, why do so many who care for the soil oppose the projects? Why is threat of eminent domain being tossed around? Why are our lawmakers currently discussing legislation to prohibit the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines (and maybe other products)? Why?

If pipeline construction is touted as minimally disruptive (the soil will be returned), then why are special construction processes (horizontal/directional boring) offered as a goodwill effort where rivers, wetlands, and environmentally sensitive areas are crossed? Do we know the answer? Is it possible that the best efforts to return the soil to pre-construction quality is not possible? Is it possible the construction process is destructive and is threatening? Shouldn’t all soil be considered fragile, since it is? Our soil is valuable. Our soil is not simply replaceable. Healthy soil cannot simply be scraped to the side in various layers, a pipe buried in the ground, and then the soil replaced with an expectation of returning the land to pristine conditions. Many years of recovery will be needed - or so I have been told - and aerial imaging tends to support those comments.

On the other side of this discussion, does not constructing a pipeline pose a threat to the health of our climate and the economic well-being of our agricultural economy? Will ethanol produced in the Midwest be downgraded due to its carbon footprint? Will the corn markets suffer? What is the truth in this debate? Or, are there many truths on both sides of these question that tend to conflict with each other?

I do not have the answers for these complicated questions. What I do know is our environment must be protected - whether that means capturing and piping carbon dioxide or not constructing a pipeline. I don’t even know which is more important and that makes this dilemma so very difficult.

In Bremer County at least five threatened or endangered wildlife species could be impacted by pipeline construction. My concerns have been provided to the Iowa Utilities Board for their consideration. I asked that those areas of sensitive habitat be protected if a pipeline is constructed. I don’t know what more I can do.

Notice that I did not bring up any safety concerns. Our pipeline safety process is regulated by PHMSA (a federal agency) and what concerns we voice at the local level do not matter much. In fact, any local regulations created based on pipeline safety stand a good chance of creating an invitation to court for litigation. So my safety concerns, at this point are moot. Our local voices have been muted by the system.

Notice too that I am not opposing ethanol plants. I buy ethanol on a regular basis. I recognize ethanol’s positive impact on the ag market.

If you have concerns about the pipeline - positive, negative, or just comments - please submit them to the Iowa Utilities Board (https://iub.iowa.gov/how-make-filing-iub). In the event you can scientifically explain which is more important - a pipeline to contain carbon dioxide or our existing soils in their current state - please feel free to message me.