(An Iowa Capital Dispatch report) – Summit Carbon Solutions, the company proposing to build more than 1,000 miles of carbon sequestration pipeline through Iowa, announced Monday a community and landownership partnership program and updated commitments. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the partnership focuses on safety precautions, operational transparency and increased benefits to landowners and counties where the pipeline route is slated to be built.  The letters were sent to county supervisors and county emergency managers Monday, but a Summit representative said they should be sent to all Iowa landowners over the next week and a half.

Summit’s new CEO Joe Griffin, said in the letter, “These commitments are more than words on paper—they are a promise to operate safely, openly, and in a way that brings meaningful benefits to the people and places that make this project possible.” The letter outlines seven commitments to landowners and counties, as well as an explanation of how the project adheres to and “often exceeds” federal pipeline safety standards set by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA. As part of its approach to safety, Summit said it would: establish a constantly staffed control room, maintain an emergency manual, coordinate emergency response plans with local crews, ensure the proper tools and equipment are ready when needed, provide CO2 specific training for responders, ensure immediate notification in the event of an incident and offer a public awareness program at least annually.

Landowners opposed to the pipeline have noted safety as a primary concern, especially when noting the outcomes of a CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi several years ago. The Mississippi incident left impacted residents stranded as the excess carbon dioxide in the air immobilized vehicles.  Additionally, Summit said it would offer annual grants to communities so they can purchase safety and response equipment, and operate a real-time notification system. “We’re fully committed to making this project work the right way going forward,” the letter said. “We also realize our significant investment will only be successful if it’s built on genuine partnership, and we know that success depends on working side-by-side with communities and landowners along our route.” Emergency response and communication were also part of the seven commitments Summit listed as part of the community partnership program.

In a bullet labeled “Emergency Response and Preparedness” Summit said it would offer an initial donation of $50,000 to each county emergency management team where the pipeline crosses, plus an additional $1,000 for each mile of pipeline in the county. These funds, which the letter said will be available at least 180 days prior to the start of operations, will help facilitate the training, equipment and notification systems noted previously. The second commitment point in the letter concerns public awareness and communications. Here Summit commits to maintaining an updated project website prior to construction and to providing public awareness updates at least annually during construction and operation of the pipeline.

Summit directed a number of commitments at landowners, who should receive the letters in the mail. Some landowners have voiced concerns, and sued, over the surveying process required for Summit to plan its route and assess a property through which the pipeline would travel. In the letter, Summit said it would give landowners at least 72 hours notice, unless there is a different statutory regulation, and offer landowners a one-time $500 payment for project surveys. Summit also committed to “avoid the use of eminent domain except as a last resort.” This follows commitments to negotiate in good faith, and to engage in discussions “aimed at reaching mutual agreement.” Summit also sent landowners a hotline number they can call in the event they encounter “individuals who do not represent this project with honesty and integrity.”

Landowners can also choose between fair market compensation as either a lump sum, or annual payment, or they can choose a payment option “linked to all financial distributions to Summit’s current owners.” Regardless of which reimbursement option they choose, landowners with a voluntary easement will receive an annual stakeholder payment at a rate of at least $0.25 per foot of pipeline on their property. The rate will increase as Summit acquires higher percentages of voluntary easements along the project footprint in the state. If 100% of voluntary easements are reached, the stakeholder payment rate will be $0.50 per foot per year.

Finally, Summit said it was committed to water stewardship and transparency throughout the project. The letter was signed by leadership from more than a dozen partnering ethanol plants.