To the Editor:

Re: Farmer, attorney promote carbon pipeline mitigation agreements.

When I read the article by Fritz Busch in the Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, edition of the Marshall Independent, I knew I had to respond. In the first place, there were more than 200 people in attendance at the meeting, which is more than 100, but stating that there were more than 100 minimizes the actual attendance.

Here is a portion of the report sent via email from CURE:

“We had a great turnout on Monday evening in Lamberton with standing room only and just over 200 folks in attendance.

The top 5 takeaways from the night were –

1) This project has not been approved by the State of Minnesota and the PUC approves the route — not the pipeline companies.

2) The Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is addressing safety concerns because CO2 pipelines present safety risks beyond that of fossil fuel pipelines. They are updating their regulations later this year so Minnesota should wait before considering this project.

3) There are questions regarding the number of easements signed and filed in Minnesota and what Summit has been reporting to the media. As of Jan 2023, approximately 240 signed, which is a small percentage of the proposed route in Minnesota.

4) The process of capturing the carbon and converting it for transport in a pipeline takes more energy and water than actually making ethanol

5) There is no rush to sign easements — current easement offers only seem to benefit Summit and have limited compensation, protections for landowners, address crop yield losses long-term and raise questions about liability not only for those signing easements but also adjacent property owners and local communities.

CURE put together maps of all the recorded easements in the state as of Jan. 20 and had them on display in the back of the room. It was clear that Summit does not have the number of easements, or the percentages of easements signed in Minnesota that they have been claiming in the media.”

For more information: https://www.cureriver.org/ carbon-pipelines-mn/

Barbara Schmidt

Vesta