(Radio Iowa) – The proposed Iowa route for a Texas company’s carbon pipeline has changed and more than 200 people packed a public hearing in Manchester to express their opinions on the project. The Navigator pipeline would ship liquefied carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to storage in Illinois. Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, a vice president for Navigator, says the route was adjusted once Archer-Daniels-Midland decided to pursue its own carbon pipeline.

A dozen POET ethanol plants in Iowa would be connected to the the Navigator pipeline route. Dubuque County Supervisor Ann McDonough says the company has given zero safety information to emergency services in the area.

A man who spoke at the hearing in Manchester said the proposed route would come within a quarter mile of his house and he’s concerned about ruptures.

In 2020, a carbon pipeline rupture in Mississippi prompted the evacuation of a small town, as liquified carbon dioxide can cause nausea, headaches, mental confusion and respiratory issues. Several speakers urged the audience to send written objections to the Iowa Utilities Board, which will review Navigator’s requests to seize property from landowners unwilling to sign voluntary easements for the pipeline. Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions is the third company seeking landowner agreements for a pipeline.