Landowners’ Carbon Storage Rights Challenge Gets Second Chance in District Court

The North Dakota Supreme Court has ordered a lower court to reconsider a legal challenge to underground carbon dioxide storage laws, according to Jeff Beach and Jacob Orledge from the North Dakota Monitor. The Northwest Landowners Association is suing over a state law allowing companies to store CO2 beneath private property if 60% of affected landowners agree. The group argues this violates property rights by taking land without proper compensation. The ruling could impact the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project, which plans to store carbon dioxide from ethanol plants underground in North Dakota. The case now returns to district court for a decision on its merits. This could set a national precedent on carbon storage rights.