Domina Law Group is pleased to report that Managing Lawyer Brian Jorde and our team have prevailed in leading Midwest landowners toward an historic victory in the battle over a controversial carbon capture pipeline proposed by Navigator CO2 Ventures.
As reported by ABC News, Navigator has announced that it is cancelling its proposed CO2 pipeline after encountering what it referred to as an “unpredictable” regulatory process.
This is an incredible victory for landowners and activists who for months worked together to oppose Navigator’s controversial pipeline, and a testament to the legal strategy led by our very own Brian Jorde, who helped landowners challenge Navigator’s permit applications in South Dakota, Iowa, and other states.
Brian Jorde Comments on Navigator CO2’s Cancellation of its Heartland Greenway Pipeline Project
Navigator’s Heartland Greenway project was one of several controversial carbon capture projects intended to capture carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol plants across the Midwest and transport them in the form of liquified CO2 to underground storage sites.
Navigator’s project, which would have cost an estimated $3.5 billion, was proposed to span over 1,300 miles across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
Following widespread opposition from landowners and activists, Navigator earlier this month withdrew its application for a crucial permit in Illinois and announced that it was putting all other permit applications on hold. The announcement came after the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to deny the company a construction permit for its pipeline in September.
Attorney Brian Jorde, who led the legal strategy that resulted in Navigator cancelling its project, spoke with ABC News and the Des Moines Register about the victory. As he noted:
“Everyone said we have no chance against foreign-backed, multibillion-dollar hazardous pipelines but when hundreds of landowners band together with a unified legal strategy, we can win.”
Jorde also commented on how the “monumental win for landowners” should send a message to the powerful investors backing Navigator, which includes Valero and BlackRock, and other carbon pipeline companies:
“If you haven't been able to sell your project successfully by this point, it doesn't deserve to exist.”
Jorde, Domina Law Continue to Fight Controversial Carbon Pipelines
As we applaud the efforts of all those involved in the latest victory, Jorde and our team at Domina Law will continue to help landowners across the Midwest in ongoing efforts against other carbon capture pipelines, including those from Summit Carbon Solutions and Wolf Carbon Solutions.
In addition to raising challenges regarding health and safety concerns and impacts to farmland, we’ve been vocal in opposing these companies’ attempts to use eminent domain – a right typically reserved for the government and public use projects – to access private property and construct their pipelines. You can learn more about our carbon pipeline litigation work and find the latest updates on our blog.
You can read the full articles discussing Navigator’s pipeline cancellation featuring quotes by Brian Jorde on ABC News and the Des Moines Register.