The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) has approved Summit Carbon Solutions' application for a permit to construct a carbon dioxide pipeline through the state.

The pipeline, which would be the world's largest of its kind, is designed to capture greenhouse gases from ethanol refineries in the Midwest and transport them for underground storage. 

The pipeline would traverse five states and capture emissions from 57 ethanol plants.

"The Board determined, after considering all relevant factors, that the project will serve the public convenience and necessity," the IUB said in a statement.

The project has received support from the ethanol industry, anticipating it will reduce ethanol production's carbon footprint and qualify them for clean fuel tax credits. 

However, some landowners and environmental groups have voiced concerns about potential leaks and the effectiveness of carbon sequestration in combating climate change.

"While Summit stands to profit significantly, our environment and communities face the consequences," said Jim Walsh, policy director of Food & Water Watch, an environmental group.

The IUB permit allows Summit to use eminent domain in Iowa if necessary to acquire land for the pipeline. The company has already secured voluntary easements from landowners along 75% of the Iowa route, according to a Summit press release.

Summit still needs permits from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. 

Both Dakotas rejected the company's initial applications last year. Nebraska, the fifth state on the pipeline's route, does not have a carbon dioxide pipeline permitting process.

Summit aims to begin construction in 2025 and commence operations in 2026.