The manager of an ethanol plant near Council Bluffs says a bill that would set new restrictions on the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline in Iowa would also impact his company’s plan connect to a Nebraska pipeline. Mike Jerke is CEO of what’s known as SIRE — Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy.
A nearly 400 mile long natural gas pipeline in Nebraska is being retooled and will start capturing carbon from ethanol plants this fall. Jerke says his ethanol facility plans to start sequestering carbon in mid-2026 and connect to the Tallgrass Trailblazer pipeline in Nebraska.
Jerke says the bill requires a type of insurance that would violate the permit his company is seeking and the legislation would set a 25 year limit on operating a pipeline transporting liquid carbon dioxide. Jerde says that would be a death blow because his company already negotiated $45 million worth of contracts to buy the equipment needed to sequester CO2.
Jerke made his comments during an online news conference hosted by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. The group is urging Governor Reynolds to veto the pipeline bill.
