“Just weeks after Summit Carbon Solutions paused its pipeline permit application in South Dakota, the Lincoln County Commission is set for debate over yet another ordinance on carbon pipeline setbacks,” the Mitchell Republic reports. “The Lincoln County Commission on Tuesday, April 8, held a first reading of an ordinance that would write-in carbon dioxide transmission lines and facilities into the county’s lawbook while also imposing certain restrictions. Beyond creating standard definitions and conditions of use, the proposal would install a 500-foot setback between a physical carbon dioxide pipeline and a residential property line — though it does allow homeowners to waive that requirement by filing with the county. A quarter-mile setback would also be created between other carbon dioxide facilities — such as capture stations, pump stations or mainline valves — and dwellings, churches, schools and businesses. Backers are circulating petitions to in Lake County for a special election on an ordinance regulating carbon pipelines… “In Summit’s filing to the PUC, the company said the law, which takes effect this July, would change its ability to access certain lands for surveying its ideal pipeline route. “The surveys which are necessarily required to inform the route decisions as to right of way will be significantly delayed,” Summit’s filing reads. “The resulting delays in obtaining the surveys mean that the timelines involved in Commission action on this application are unrealistic.” It’s unclear when — or if — Summit Carbon Solutions plans to resume their permit application.” (fb)

#NoKXL “The latest leak in the Keystone oil pipeline in North Dakota on Tuesday continues the troubled history of the 15-year-old pipeline,” the Associated Press reports. “...The Keystone Pipeline was constructed in 2010 at a cost of $5.2 billion. It was built by TC Energy, but it is now operated by South Bow as of 2024. How many leaks have there been? There have been 23 spills along the Keystone oil pipeline, including four in North Dakota. One leak in 2022 in Kansas was the largest onshore oil spill in nine years. That rupture in the pipeline dumped about 14,000 barrels of crude oil into a creek running through rural pastureland in Washington County, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Kansas City. The leaks have varied in size, but in total the Keystone pipeline has spilled more than 1 million gallons of crude oil over the years… “Why are there so many problems? The Pipeline Safety Trust advocacy group said that a 2021 report by the Government Accountability Office concluded that preventable construction issues contributed to more spills on the Keystone pipeline than on similar pipelines. The report also said that the pipeline's largest spills were “caused by issues related to the original design, manufacturing of the pipe, or construction of the pipeline.” “...Keystone’s incident history illustrates the problematic pipeline’s systemic issues,” Pipeline Safety Trust Executive Director Bill Caram told AP. Is this the same as the Keystone XL pipeline? When the original Keystone pipeline was proposed and built there was little controversy about the project, but it was a different story a few years later when TC Energy proposed building a second pipeline called the Keystone XL pipeline. That pipeline drew years of protests from environmental activists and landowners who worried that a spill could foul their land and water. Keystone XL was ultimately abandoned by the company in 2021 after President Joe Biden refused to approve a permit for it. President Donald Trump had tried to revive it during his first term, but Biden's decision ultimately killed the project.” (fb)