Ten days after withdrawing its application before the Illinois Commerce Commission, the company that wanted to build a carbon dioxide pipeline through this region has cancelled the project entirely.
In a release Friday, Navigator CO2 said the pipeline project has been “challenging.” They said they decided to cancel the pipeline given the “unpredictable nature” of government and regulatory processes, particularly in South Dakota and Iowa.
The company had planned to capture carbon dioxide from ethanol and fertilizer plants in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and South Dakota, then liquify it and pump it to an underground storage site in central Illinois.
Landowners and environmental advocates have pushed back on the project, which would have gone through 13 counties in western and central Illinois and several in southeast Iowa.
Prior to withdrawing the application in Illinois on Oct. 10, Navigator asked to pause its application in Iowa.
Before that, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission last month rejected the permit application the company filed in that state.
Navigator CEO Matt Vining said in a release the decision to cancel was difficult.
“We are disappointed that we will not be able to provide services to our customers and thank them for their continued support,” he said.
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