The Carbon Herald, a news website that covers carbon-related topics, has published an article about Summit Carbon Solutions’ recent filing of lawsuits against North and South Dakota landowners who are refusing to let company crews survey their property.
Domina Law Group and Managing Lawyer Brian Jorde represent landowners across the Midwest in various legal challenges related to Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed Midwest Carbon Express pipeline. The $4.5 billion pipeline project, which would transport ethanol plant carbon emissions as liquified CO2 through five states so it can be sequestered underground in Nebraska, has faced heavy opposition from landowners, environmental groups, and government officials.
Now, the most recent battle concerns lawsuits being filed by Summit against North and South Dakota landowners who won’t let company crews on their land to conduct surveys. The move is similar to one made by Navigator Ventures CO2, which filed suit against Iowa landowners for allegedly violating a state law that allows energy companies to access private land for the purpose of surveying.
Attorney Brian Jorde and Domina Law are representing landowners who’ve been served these lawsuits and have taken the position that while the big focus may be these companies’ potential use of eminent domain – a right meant for governments and not private companies – the issue of unapproved surveys can also be considered an unconstitutional act of taking private property.
Landowners have 21 days to respond to the lawsuits, and it remains unknown how many have been sued. But as Brian Jorde told the Carbon Herald, as more people get served lawsuits, more attention will be brought to the issue, and more fuel will be added to the opposition of the project.
You can read the full article about the suits and Domina Law’s work for landowners here.