During testimony before the Iowa Utilities Board, Summit Carbon Solutions Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Powell talked about the large amount of water that will be needed for the CO2 pipeline projects in Iowa, stating they will need water supply at every ethanol plant they hook up to. He said the amount of water needed would range from 20 to 120 gallons per minute. When asked if this volume of water could impact the water supply of surrounding communities his response was that Summit was depending on Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources to address that issue.
Using the average of the numbers Powell articulated, my math suggests we are talking about 910 gallons of water per minute, over a million gallons of water per day, or over four hundred million gallons of water per year, if the plants were to operate 365 days a year. That will probably not be the case, but the massive amount of water use is clearly evident. If weekends are subtracted, it still amounts to over 260 million gallons of water per year.
Iowa ranks among the top three states most vulnerable to drought, as Iowans well know since we are in a serious one right now. I have been in contact with community officials in Iowa deeply concerned that they may soon run out of water. Some communities in Western Iowa have been getting permission from DNR to put dams in rivers and streams to increase their water supply. I know this because they contacted me for assistance. Unfortunately, the data suggests drought conditions may not get better anytime soon.
According to a recent WHO 13 news report, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor released by the USDA just days ago, shows worsening conditions. According to this report, 99.14% of Iowa is currently experiencing some level of drought. That is a slight increase from the previous week – about 10,000 acres. The worst drought conditions are in northeast Iowa, with twenty counties almost entirely in Extreme Drought. While rain is in the forecast, drought conditions remain a deep concern for much of Iowa.
The questions here are obvious. Where is this volume of water coming from, and what studies have been done to determine if such water use is feasible and sustainable without devastating crops and communities that depend on water for survival? I intend to get answers to these questions.
As I have stated before, the use of eminent domain for these CO2 pipeline projects does not meet the constitutional or statutory requirements and should not be granted by the Iowa Utilities Board. Additionally, profoundly important questions as to how these projects will impact our water supply must be answered. Studies must be conducted to make this determination before these projects are allowed to move forward.
CO2 as an environmental threat is totally fabricated. https://co2coalition.org/facts/
Farmers need CO2! Agriculture NEEDS CO2!
The debate is over private profiteering fueled by political propaganda.
Call in nongovernment funded science, if you can find it.
We are looking for a drug to treat man-made hypochondria.