Jasper County selects ISG as carbon pipeline inspector

Until the Iowa Legislature addresses concerns about eminent domain next year, the construction of the carbon pipeline in Jasper County is effectively on hold. Still, in preparation for the upcoming project, the board of supervisors earlier this month signed a letter of intent with its inspector who will oversee the work.

ISG, a Des Moines-based engineering consultant, will be performing the pre-construction activities and all construction inspection services related to the 35 proposed miles of pipeline that cut through Jasper County. The inspector is the same one the county hired for the Dakota Access pipeline a few years ago.

Jasper County Supervisor Brandon Talsma said although there were some issues the governing body and residents experienced with ISG, he is confident the company has a better plan for the county this time around. Lessons were learned and he expects the process to be much smoother than Dakota Access.

Evan Del Val, a civil engineer for ISG, said the Heartland Greenway System project is a carbon dioxide sequestration line being developed by a company called Navigator CO2. According to the company, the 1,300-mile pipeline network will connect Midwestern biofuel producers to an underground storage facility.

When fully constructed, Heartland Greenway “will have the ability to capture and store 15 million metric tons” of carbon dioxide every year.

The specific locations for the pipeline in Jasper County have not yet been decided. Del Val said Navigator CO2 has a rough idea of where that corridor is going to be. The company had a public information meeting a few months ago that identified the landowners that could be impacted.

“We have a rough idea and it goes very similar to where the Dakota Access line cut through the county here,” Del Val said.

Iowa Code requires county boards of supervisors to have inspections for these lines. If officials wanted to, they could have county engineering staff handle the work. But, historically, staff are already at capacity and probably do not have the experience or expertise to do this kind of work.

Which is why many counties hire a third party. Del Val said ISG will have a similar process to its inspection as it did for Dakota Access, which means the consultant hires experienced inspectors to review the construction. Del Val said ISG is not affiliated with the pipeline and answers directly to counties and landowners.

“It’s all 100 percent reimbursable by the pipeline. Code requires that,” he said. “Zero dollars will come out of Jasper County for our services, and that’s across the board. If we have any issues with any costs or payments with the pipeline not paying it, that’s not anything we would ever come to you to figure out.”

Talsma said the Dakota Access inspection was a learning experience for a lot of people, including ISG. Del Val agreed, noting a lot of things have changed or improved for the Heartland Greenway pipeline. The developer cannot send sediment off property or dewater a property. There is now more ISG can control.

“With regards to our approach to it, we’re revising some of our reporting,” Del Val said. “But that has more to do with technology advances. The one lesson learned is that we’ll go forward on our approach to it is we’re going to be far more communicative with counties.”

For the Dakota Access project, Del Val said a lot of the county supervisors were happy to just hire an inspector and then ignore the project.

“I think we did them a disservice and I think they did themselves a disservice by not staying informed on where that’s at,” he said. “As far as our reporting, we’re putting in an update sheet that we’ll be able to provide to supervisors so they can see where we’re at in their county. Just so you have that information.”

Another takeaway from Dakota Access is the need for more education with landowners. Del Val wants landowners to know who the county inspector is, what their role is and what they can expect from that position during the project and after the project. ISG is even trying to coordinate landowner meetings.

Jasper County Supervisor Denny Carpenter said one property owner told him he learned a lot from Dakota Access and will be asking a lot more questions for this next project. Talsma said a lot of them are. Although ISG cannot be involved in any negotiations, Del Val recommended folks take a hard look at their properties.

“Have a conversation to understand what it is that they can get from this,” Del Val said.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext 560 or at cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com