MELLETTE, S.D.—On their way to attend their niece’s wedding in July 2021, fourth-generation farmer Ed Fischbach of Mellette, South Dakota, and his wife made a quick stop to check the mailbox. His wife reached inside, pulling out a handful of letters. Within the small pile was an envelope from a company she had never heard…

Keeping the doors unlocked is a common practice on rural farms where farmers often work between the house, barn, and field. But country manners don’t allow strangers to enter buildings unannounced. That’s what happened on May 3, when land surveyors for Summit Carbon Solutions arrived at the Brown County, South Dakota ranch of Jared and…

An Iowa Judge recently ruled in a Clay County case that a state law regarding access to private property for land surveys is unconstitutional. Another judge in a similar Hardin County case determined on May 10 that the same law is constitutional. Brian Jorde, managing lawyer at Domina Law Group in Omaha, Nebraska, who represents…

After weeks of buildup, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finally unveiled a new suite of carbon emissions proposals for power produced using natural gas, coal, and oil that could spur the use of carbon capture technologies. The standards released on May 11 would impact new and old power infrastructure, including new natural gas turbines and…

After weeks of buildup, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled its strictest-ever rules for power produced using natural gas, coal, and oil that could spur the use of carbon capture technologies. The standards released on May 11 would impact new and old power infrastructure, including new natural gas turbines and the country’s existing coal fleet….

With three separate projects in the works, thousands of miles of carbon capture pipeline are planned across Iowa. As maps of these pipelines come into focus, landowners are resistant to allowing pipeline companies to survey their private property, a first step to seizing easement rights through eminent domain. Summit Carbon Solutions envisions building the Midwest…

Although the United Nations states that carbon capture and storage technology (CCS), equipment that enables fossil fuel producers to sequester emissions to mitigate global warming, is needed to meet emissions reduction targets, multiple climate activist groups oppose its development as they believe CCS entrenches the oil and gas industry. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate…

Commentary One of the worst movies ever made–apart from the bottomless pit of direct-to-video fare—has got to be 2003’s “The Core,” starring Hilary Swank and the insufferable Stanley Tucci. Swiping the Booby Prize long held by 1977’s “Exorcist II: The Heretic,” this “save the planet from itself” journey to the soft Tootsie Roll center of…

Midwest landowners fighting the construction of a 2,000-mile web of carbon-capture pipelines are upset to learn that the company seeking easements on their lands is funded by foreign investors, including at least one with a troubling history. Summit Carbon Solutions aims to build a pipeline through hundreds of farms and other private properties in Iowa,…

Midwest landowners fighting the construction of a 2,000-mile web of carbon-capture pipelines are upset to learn that the company seeking easements on their lands is funded by foreign investors, including at least one with a troubling history. Summit Carbon Solutions aims to build a pipeline through hundreds of farms and other private properties in Iowa,…