As plans continue to be made by Heartland Greenway and Navigator C02 Ventures on a proposed carbon capture pipeline that would originate just to the north of Moody County, and run south through the county, company officials this past week paid a visit to Moody County Commissioners.
Attorney Jason Glodt, who works on behalf of the company, had asked to present during the regularly scheduled Commission meeting — the same information that had been offered to the public in an open forum earlier this spring. (That same information can also be found on the company’s website.)
Two others from the company, including Elizabeth Burns Thompson, the Vice President for Navigator C02, attended the meeting with him.
“I’ve come today to really make a public commitment to all of you as a county and to you as decision makers in the county, that we absolutely do want to be good partners, we can and will be good partners,” said Burns-Thompson. “What we ask is to have the opportunity to work through something that is fair and feasible and really matches with what the future of Moody County can and should be.”

The group, besides the initial information presented, also offered what were considered brand new numbers as to the economic impact of the pipeline.
Heartland Greenway and Navigator C02 expect to file an application for the pipeline with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission sometime this summer or early fall. Another C02 pipeline, Summit, is further ahead in its process of working toward approval. The pipelines remain a source of controversy both in terms of whether or not they work as intended and because the work to build them relies on eminent domain if property owners along the route do not agree voluntarily to the lines running through their properties.
Clayton Rentschler contacted the Moody County Enterprise and asked that landowners with concerns join the South Dakota Easement Team’s efforts to be a unified voice for Moody County and other state landowners potentially affected by the pipeline. “The more that sign on and the sooner they do it, the better our voice will be heard with the PUC,” he said. There is also an email that goes out to landowners and others who want to learn more. To learn more, log onto https://forms.gle/8oAcBKY3FDR4XEw28.
The group there to present to the Commissioners received only 15 minutes to talk. The three did stay afterwards for more than an hour to answer any questions in the Farmer’s Room downstairs.
We will have more from the meeting and on the message Heartland Greenway’s team hopes to share with Moody County in next week’s issue.
Commissioners also heard this past week:
A number of county residents and landowners appealed tax rate increases issued this year, citing nearby properties or lack of updates on those properties to account for the increases they felt they received. Commissioners heard each of the petitions and stated they would meet at a later time to issue decisions in each unique case.
A request that was approved to allow the use of the Courthouse grounds for National Day of Prayer.