Pipeline talks arrive in Minnehaha County, the '800-pound gorilla' in battle to stop carbon projects

Landowners say South Dakota's largest county is paramount in their work to block a pair of pipelines planned here

Dale Bonneme and Joy Hohn stand before the Minnehaha County Planning Commission Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2023, while a video is played to illustrate what occurs when a carbon dioxide pipeline ruptures. (Joe Sneve/The Dakota Scout)

SIOUX FALLS — The opposition to a planned carbon pipeline that would pump liquidized carbon through South Dakota says the state’s largest county is the linchpin of their efforts to block the project.

Landowners and farmers from across eastern South Dakota who showed up to a marathon Minnehaha County Planning Commission meeting Monday couldn’t all fit into the commission chambers, where they made a plea to officials to adopt policy all but banning the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline.

“In reality, Minnehaha County is the 800-pound gorilla in the room,” said Dale Bonneme, a Sioux Falls resident who owns ground in Lincoln County, one of 18 South Dakota counties along Summit Carbon Solutions’ planned route of the 2,000 mile long line that would capture carbon from ethanol plants. “If you don’t do anything, it looks bad for the rest of the state that is trying to stop this.”

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