PUC: Lawmakers not eligible to intervene in carbon pipeline hearing
Group of lawmakers wanted to file opposition to proposed Summit Carbon project
State lawmakers opposed to Summit Carbon Solution’s proposed carbon capture pipeline are ineligible to file opposition to the project in their official capacities.
That’s according to an official opinion released by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) staff — the entity tasked with moderating and providing input to the three-member commission about matters that appear before them — after a trio of incoming and current lawmakers filed petitions to receive party status in the matter. Summit has applied with the PUC for a permit to construct the pipeline to capture carbon from ethanol facilities.
Rep. Ben Krohmer of Mitchell and Sen. Brent Hoffman of Sioux Falls, both outgoing lawmakers with terms that expire in January, attempted to file opposition documents to the pipeline, in their official capacities as representatives of their districts. Impacted parties on either side of the carbon pipeline issue, such as advocacy groups and nearby landowners, have the ability to apply to be impacted parties, thus earning a seat at the table during the PUC’s proceedings.
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