Navigator CO2 pulls plug on Heartland Greenway pipeline project
CLIVE, Iowa, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Navigator CO2 Ventures has canceled its five-state Heartland Greenway pipeline project, citing regulatory challenges.
The Texas-based company called the government processes involved in approving pipeline projects "unpredictable" in a statement announcing it was pulling the plug.
"As good stewards of capital and responsible managers of people, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Heartland Greenway project," Matt Vining, Navigator CEO, said in a statement. "We are disappointed that we will not be able to provide services to our customers and thank them for their continued support."
Navigator proposed a 1,300-mile underground liquid CO2 pipeline in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. The largest stretch of pipeline would have been built in Iowa, where the company planned to build 810 miles.
Carbon would have been sequestered in Illinois after being captured from more than 30 facilities. Construction was planned for two phases, with the bulk of the project being built in the first phase.
The Heartland Greenway project is one of three hazardous liquid pipelines proposed in the Midwest. Summit Carbon Solutions and Wolf Carbon Solutions also plan to build pipelines crossing Iowa and Illinois. Summit's pipeline would also have branches in Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.
The public hearing for Summit's pipeline project in Iowa recessed at the end of September due to the venue being unavailable. It will resume at the Cardiff Event Center in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Nov. 6.
"Unlike many other issues, this was never a case of right vs. left, it was right vs. wrong. The people united to resist Navigator at every level in every corner of every state and we won," Jess Mazour, Conservation Program Coordinator of Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, said in a statement obtained by UPI. "We will continue our staunch opposition to carbon pipeline scams like Summit and Wolf. These projects are not for the public benefit, they never have been and they never will be."
