The threat of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines drove South Dakota state Senator Mark Lapka to run for public office. Elected last November, he has introduced and championed legislation to prohibit eminent domain theft. “I don’t want to see us go down a path where eminent domain becomes a way of doing business,” he told colleagues. His bill impacts Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed $9 billion pipeline, which aims to transport CO2 from more than 50 ethanol plants across multiple Great Plains states. Lapka is a farmer and rancher from Leola, South Dakota, representing District 23.
