Presidential Candidate Doug Burgum Defends Eminent Domain to Build Carbon Capture Pipelines

July 31, 2023

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by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Sunday he wants to see carbon capture pipeline projects succeed to boost the value of Midwest corn and soybeans — and help revitalize struggling rural towns.

“The whole point of CO2” capture pipelines “is that it's going to raise the value of corn for every farmer in America,” the Republican presidential candidate said in Newton.

It’s a hot-button issue in Iowa, where three companies have proposed building pipelines that will be used to capture carbon dioxide at ethanol and other industrial ag plants, liquefy it under pressure, and transport it to other states, where it will be sequestered deep underground.

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“People ask 'what's the beneficial good?' The beneficial bit is that there are customers willing to pay for things like sustainable aviation fuel, and this is going to raise the income for every farmer in the Midwest,” said Burgum, who along with his wife, Kathryn, had lunch with about a dozen Jasper County Republicans.

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Burgum said eminent domain is necessary to get big projects built. “We wouldn't have an interstate highway system. We wouldn't have the transcontinental railroads. We wouldn't have just about anything in this country.

“It’s very difficult to get 100% of people to agree,” he said. “The important thing is that they have an opportunity in that process to be heard and be fairly compensated.”

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Burgum added that Summit has made hundreds of changes to its route in North Dakota.

“If people don't want to get a big check from a pipeline company, they have an opportunity to let their neighbor get the big check,” he said.

Burgum, touting his support for domestic energy, slammed President Joe Biden’s push toward electric vehicles, saying he’s trying to “kill liquid fuels industry,” whether it's “attacking biofuels” or attacking “carbon-based oil and gas.”

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Burgum said the Biden administration’s idea of “helping the environment” is mining rare earth materials in China for batteries that are manufactured in factories, powered by coal and using “1980s technology” before shipping them to the U.S. READ MORE

Opinion Meet the unusually qualified presidential candidate you’ve never heard of (Washington Post/George Will)

Doug Burgum’s fraught path on climate change (Washington Post)

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum says he is ‘confident’ Summit pipeline will move forward in his state (Nebraska Examiner)

GOP Presidential Debate Recap: Agriculture Barely Mentioned in GOP Debate, But Energy and Climate Were Key Topics (DTN Progressive Farmer)

Burgum stresses ethanol in Shen campaign visit (KMA Land)

Burgum says decarbonization could double demand for ethanol (Radio Iowa)

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum ends 2024 Republican presidential bid days before the fourth debate (Associated Press)

Trump’s Energy Guy Talked a Green Game but Now Sells Big Oil Priorities -- Doug Burgum, the Republican governor of North Dakota, has stepped into the spotlight as a cheerleader for oil and former President Donald J. Trump (New York Times)

Excerpt from Washington Post: In 2017, Burgum created the state’s first Department of Environmental Quality, saying at the time that “preserving our natural resources for current and future generations is a top priority.” Then in 2021, when Burgum was at the start of his second term as governor, he announced a goal for North Dakota to be carbon-neutral by 2030.

Yet Burgum is keenly aware of his state’s marriage to the oil and gas industry, recently praising its provision of jobs for tens of thousands of North Dakotans and in his climate initiatives adopting a carbon capture — rather than fossil fuel elimination — approach.

“Anyone who cares about the climate should want as much energy produced in America as possible and sold around the globe,” said Lance Trover, a spokesperson for Burgum. “We can maintain a clean environment while supporting an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes both fossil fuels and renewable sources.” READ MORE

Excerpt from Nebraska Examiner: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said he expects to see the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project completed through North Dakota despite a recent state board vote to deny a permit.

Burgum, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, spoke to reporters Thursday after he addressed a crowd of 40 at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.

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The country needs to be less dependent on countries like Russia and China for energy, Burgum said, which means increasing domestic energy production by supporting the building of carbon capture pipelines across the country.

“If you talk about energy independence, at the time of the Russian invasion (of Ukraine), there was 400,000 barrels of oil a day … coming into New England, because you can’t get a permit in this country to take clean U.S. natural gas from Pennsylvania through New York and into New England,” Burgum told reporters. “Because for ideological reasons, we’re … not going to permit pipelines. But that’s a national security risk.”

The North Dakota Public Service Commission unanimously voted in early August to deny a siting permit for Summit Carbon Solutions. The commission found Summit’s proposal either did not minimize its impact on the environment and residents, or didn’t have sufficient proof that it does. The company responded that these issues would be addressed in a revised application.

The planned Summit pipeline is expected to cost $5 billion and span five Midwestern states, including Iowa. Environmental advocates and some landowners also oppose the pipeline project in Iowa, where the Iowa Utilities Board is expected to begin a final evidentiary hearing on Summit’s hazardous liquid pipeline permit request in less than two weeks.

On the North Dakota commission decision, Burgum said he believes the Summit project will move forward.

“I have every expectation that that pipeline is going to be approved in North Dakota,” Burgum said. “There’s going to be a reconsideration of that process, I’m sure. And as they have done in the past, they’ve been super accommodating in routing around. If you got a farmer that doesn’t want a big check for an easement, you know, their neighbor probably does, and they’ll keep making adjustments. And so I’m fully confident it’s going to be built.” READ MORE

Excerpt from DTN Progressive Farmer: Farmers came up just two times in the Republican presidential debate on Wednesday night, both times mentioned by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

When talking about energy security, Burgum pointed out China is importing oil from Russia and said, "Every farmer in this country would like to buy diesel 20% off just like they are buying in China."

Burgum was making the point, "Russia has become China's gas station."

Later in the debate in talking about crime, Burgum brought up small towns and said, "If a farmer gets sick, everybody helps them; (they) get together to get the crop out."

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said, "Our country is in decline. This decline is not inevitable. It's a choice. We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline."

Lower gas prices - "We're going to open up all energy production. We're going to be dominant for energy production in this country."

Yet, U.S. crude oil production is on pace to average a record 12.76 million barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration, topping 2019's record output of 12.3 million barrels per day.

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Vivek Ramaswamy, the 38-year-old newcomer who is rising in the GOP polls, said he would "drill, frack, burn coal and embrace nuclear" as president. He said, "toxic regulations" on energy are "acting like a wet blanket on this economy."

Ramaswamy drew fire from Pence, Haley and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over his inexperience and his opposition to supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia. Pence said, "Now is not the time for on-the-job training. We don't need to bring in a rookie. We don't need to bring in people without any experience."

Fox moderators pointed out devastating national disasters and asked the eight GOP candidates to raise their hands if human behavior is causing climate change. None raised their hands. DeSantis chimed in. "We're not schoolchildren. Let's have the debate."

DeSantis criticized Biden saying he "Was on the beach while those people were suffering" in Hawaii. He said a leader immediately activates federal resources during a disaster.

Ramaswamy then said, "The climate change agenda is a hoax, and we have to declare that it is."

He again added, "The anti-carbon agenda is a wet blanket on our economy."

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Haley said Republicans care about clean air and clean water, but added, "We need to start telling China and India they have to lower their emissions," Haley said.

Republicans agreed it did not make sense for the U.S. to rely on China for the minerals needed to make batteries for electric vehicles.

Scott added the U.S. has cut its carbon footprint while China and India have increased theirs. "Why would we put ourselves at a disadvantage, devastating our own economy? Let's bring our jobs home," Scott said.