"A company proposing an $8 billion carbon dioxide pipeline through eastern South Dakota says the project would be good for the environment.

The claim is based on the heat-trapping carbon dioxide emitted by ethanol plants that would be captured, transported by the pipeline and stored underground in North Dakota.

“This carbon capture and storage project will have the capacity to prevent the release of 18 million metric tons of CO2 to the atmosphere every year,” says the project website, “or the equivalent of removing the annual CO2 emissions of 4 million vehicles from our roads.”

While that’s true, participating ethanol plants could still emit about 7 million metric tons of additional carbon dioxide annually. That’s because the pipeline would only capture some — not all — of the CO2 emitted by the plants."

Joshua Haiar reports for States Newsroom September 8, 2024. [2]