Lake County Commission considers pipeline permit and application

Lake County Commissioners approved a conditional use permit, but denied a utility occupancy application for work on a proposed carbon capture pipeline.  

During their meeting Tuesday, commissioners first considered a utility occupancy application from TurnKey Logistics, LLC, Owner’s Agent for the applicant Summit Carbon Solutions Carbon Transport.  The application was for ten roadway crossings in the county, where the project would bore six and 24-inch nominal diameter steel pipe under the roadway.  Trey Lester with TurnKey Logistics told commissioners that the boring would be four-feet under the roadway.  Commissioner Dennis Slaughter questioned the idea of the company asking for a permit from the county before the project has received approval from the Public Utilities Commission.

Commissioner Deb Reinicke agreed with Slaughter Tuesday, saying she didn’t feel comfortable approving the utility occupancy application at this time.

Commissioners discussed approving the application contingent on the PUC’s approval or even tabling the application, but ultimately voted to deny the pipeline company’s application.  Two county commissioners – Adam Leighton and Corey Johnke – recused themselves  from the discussion and vote before it was discussed.  The remaining three commissioners voted 3-0 in favor of denying the application.  

Acting then as a board of adjustment, the commission considered a conditional use permit for TurnKey Logistics, Owner’s Agent for the applicant Summit Carbon Solutions Carbon Transport, LLC and the landowner Dakota Ethanol, LLC.  Again, commissioners Leighton and Johnke recused themselves, and Roger Albertson sat in on the board as an alternate to consider the permit.  The permit request was for the applicant to build utility and service structures specifically to capture CO2 emissions from the ethanol plant.  The structures would be located on the southeast area of the Dakota Ethanol property.  The board took testimony from several people opposed to the project during the hearing on the conditional use permit.  In the end, commissioner Reinicke said that conditional use permits are hard to deny if all of the requirements of them have been met, which she said was the case with this one.  The board approved the permit contingent on the PUC’s permit approval. 

February 22, 2023