Court Orders Pipeline Review: Judge sends Summit CO2 route back to PSC; zoning and safety re‑examined

A North Dakota court has directed state regulators to take a closer look at the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, raising fresh questions about how safety concerns, local zoning rules and alternative routes should be assessed before major infrastructure projects are approved. The October 9 ruling by South Central District Court Judge Jackson Lofgren found that state pipeline-siting authority does not automatically override county zoning ordinances, according to North Dakota Monitor, with additional reporting from Montana Newsroom and Pipeline Fighters Hub. However, the decision did not cancel the route permit issued to Summit Carbon Solutions in November 2024. Instead, it requires the North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) to revisit several aspects of its approval process. The case was brought by landowners and Emmons and Burleigh counties, who challenged the commission’s handling of the proposed carbon dioxide pipeline. The ruling could also have implications for other infrastructure projects in the state, where the boundaries between state regulatory powers and local land-use authority have become a point of contention.Local zoning authority comes under scrutinyAt...