Summit Carbon Solutions is asking Iowa regulators to amend its permit to allow construction of its multistate carbon pipeline, even after the project was blocked in neighboring South Dakota.

The company filed a petition with the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) this week seeking to remove a key condition from its 2023 permit, which required the company to secure permits in North Dakota and South Dakota before beginning construction in Iowa.

Initially, the IUC had approved the Summit’s permit in June 2023 for more than 600 miles of pipeline across Iowa, but with the condition still in place. 

The petition follows significant setbacks in South Dakota, where state regulators have twice denied Summit’s permit requests. Earlier this year, the South Dakota legislature enacted a law blocking the use of eminent domain for the five-state pipeline project, effectively halting its path.

Despite the new law, Summit’s latest petition to the IUC still includes maps showing pipeline routes leading into South Dakota.

The move has drawn criticism from officials in the neighboring state, with U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota regarding Summit’s pipeline plan to South Dakota as “a pipeline to nowhere.” 

“I don’t know where Summit’s coming from, clearly a pipeline to South Dakota would be a pipeline to nowhere,” said U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota. 

“Right now it’s very clear, state law is not gonna allow that pipeline to get built,” he added.

Summit Carbon Solutions describes its proposal as the world’s largest carbon capture and storage project, with the supporters, including many in the ethanol industry, saying the pipeline is vital for capturing emissions and supporting the biofuels market.