Brown County joins list of entities, landowners, sued over carbon pipeline

County Commission passed resolution barring new hazardous waste pipelines in July

Brown County and its county commissioners are the latest targets for legal action by Summit Carbon Solutions, the company behind a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline.

The company filed suit against the county and its commission, following the same script it is using in suing Edmunds County. Ronald Alverson, a founder of Dakota Ethanol in Lake County, is also a plaintiff.

The lawsuit comes after the commission voted in July to enact a moratorium on new hazardous waste pipelines, via Resolution 33-22. Summit’s lawsuit says the commission called out Summit’s pipeline proposal as the impetus for the resolution.

“In fact,” the lawsuit says, “minutes before moving for the passage of Resolution #33-22 and voting in favor of it, Commissioner (Dennis) Feickert expressed his concerns over a possible pipeline rupture and discussed how Resolution #33-22’s moratorium would provide time to consider setback requirements as a means of addressing those safety concerns.”

The resolution passed unanimously.

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