Last week, Aii board members Brigham McCown and Timothy Butters spoke to Saline County, Nebraska officials on carbon dioxide pipelines’ critical role in decarbonizing the ethanol and biofuel industry. They were joined by Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, who discussed the importance of this expanded role to the state’s agriculture industry.
The conversation focused on the safety, environmental benefits, and economic advantages of sequestering carbon dioxide currently being vented into the atmosphere. Carbon Capture Technology, or CCS, permanently stores the CO2 so it is never released into the atmosphere, thereby lowering the carbon intensity of fuels produced from agricultural products.
McCown pointed out that CO2 pipelines have been safely operated for over fifty years, and that today’s 5,000 miles of CO2 lines are fully regulated by the federal safety regulator. Both McCown and Butters discussed how the federal government regulates pipelines, discussing how safety regulations are always revisited to ensure safety. The pair also addressed questions regarding safety, the low risk posed by pipelines, and how communities can ensure their first responders have adequate training in this area.
Timothy Butters served as the deputy and acting administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) during the administration of Barack Obama and is currently a strategic advisor for the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Brigham McCown served in that same role during the administration of George W. Bush, later returning to the department briefly during the transition periods between President Obama and Trump as a senior advisor.
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization. An innovative think tank, Aii explores the intersection of economics, law, and public policy in the areas of climate, damage prevention, energy, infrastructure, innovation, technology, and transportation.