PEORIA, Ill. — The plug has been pulled on a controversial multi-state pipeline that would transport Co2 to Illinois for underground sequestration. The decision by Omaha-based Navigator Co2 Ventures, announced on Friday, October 20 by the company on their website, came after South Dakota regulators rejected the pipeline. It had also faced stiff opposition from many rural landowners and farmers, environmentalists, local governments and community groups.

“Given the unpredictable nature of the regulatory and government processes involved, particularly in South Dakota and Iowa, the Company has decided to cancel its pipeline project,” read the message Navigator posted to its website, in part. 

Matt Vining, CEO of Navigator CO2 added, “As good stewards of capital and responsible managers of people, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Heartland Greenway project. We are disappointed that we will not be able to provide services to our customers and thank them for their continued support.”

NPR Illinois reported that earlier this month Navigator canceled its request for permit hearings with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), seeking a delay. At the time of the request to delay, the company said its decision was being made with “the intent to reinitiate Illinois permitting, if appropriate,” according to NPR.

Navigator’s Heartland Greenway pipeline would have carried liquefied CO2 from ethanol and fertilizer plants in Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois to sites in central Illinois. The estimated $3.4 billion pipeline would have stretched through 14 Illinois counties including Scott, Morgan, Sangamon, Christian and Montgomery.

The Bloomington, Illinois Pantagraph reported that in June, ICC staff member Mark Maple recommended the commission deny Navigator’s application, calling it “inconsistent with the legislative purpose” of the state law governing CO2 pipelines. Maple also complained that Navigator’s application was not properly filed and that the project was “not a benefit to the citizens of Illinois nor in the public interest” as the company had not yet received the necessary permits or secured a sequestration site.

The Pantagraph also reported that as of June, Navigator had only executed 13.4 percent of the easements it needs for the Illinois portion of the pipeline, “an extraordinarily low success rate...” that “is a strong indication of the unpopularity of the project and the safety concerns held by the Illinois residents living along the route,” according to Maple.

The Illinois-based Coalition to Stop Co2 Pipelines expressed gratitude that Navigator had pulled the plug on the Heartland Greenway, but cautioned that the company could return to the state in some form to propose another pipeline development project before the ICC.

“While the Coalition to Stop CO2 pipelines celebrates this victory, we also know that the tax incentives from the federal government for carbon capture, transport and storage likely mean another entity will pick up Navigator’s project OR find a different route through Illinois. Our state is a key target for sequestration, and Navigator and its affiliates have sequestration sites under review by the U.S. EPA in Christian, DeWitt, Logan, Macon, and McLean Counties. Where there is sequestration, there will be carbon pipelines,” the Coalition stated, in an email.

In addition, Pam Richart, co-founder of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, shared the following statement: “The cancellation of Navigator’s CO2 pipeline project highlights Navigator’s failure to adequately address the widespread concerns from farmers, landowners, environmental advocates, and elected officials from both sides of the aisle regarding basic protections for communities, land, and water resources. Navigator’s inability to secure enough public support for the pipeline sends a clear message that stronger protections are needed at both the state and federal level.

“Although Navigator’s announcement gives Illinois lawmakers and Governor Pritzker some breathing room to get critical protections in place for Illinois communities, there is still urgency to act swiftly. Wolf Carbon Solutions’ proposal to build a CO2 pipeline through nine Illinois counties is still on the table, and other companies continue to see Illinois as a primary target to dump their carbon dioxide waste underground. Illinois remains woefully unprepared and unprotected from CCS projects and our state must act accordingly.”

Kim Junker, a Butler County, Iowa Farmer impacted by the Navigator pipeline stated, “It’s very rare for people of so many different backgrounds and beliefs to stand together against something. We did and we won. It was clear from the start that despite their billions of dollars the power of everyday people would overcome these pipeline scams. But the fight isn’t over, we need to remain vigilant and pass laws to make sure no other private corporation can threaten our land and our legacy again.”

The 1,300 mile Heartland Greenway pipeline would have served to transport around 15 million tons of Co2 yearly from more than 20 industrial plants. The project was not without its share of supporters, most notably organized labor. Many proponents say carbon pipelines are necessary to control greenhouse gases driving climate change.

Wolf Carbon Solutions proposed their pipeline project to the ICC in June. The Denver-based company is seeking the board’s approval to construct a 260-mile pipeline that would pump carbon from two Archer Daniels Midland Co. plants in Iowa to sequestration sites below ADM’s Decatur, Illinois facility, with a hub connecting to Peoria’s BioUrja ethanol plant. As with the Navigator project, the Illinois Farm Bureau has petitioned the ICC for the “right to intervene” in the Wolf Carbon Solutions application process if it is determined that there is cause for concern or need for clarification.

More than $8 billion in federal subsidies from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been committed to carbon capture and storage technology, with a major expansion of a federal tax credit last year.