Snowy River carbon capture and storage project meeting held June 25th in Ekalaka

Courtesy of The Ekalaka Eagle

Another meeting about the proposal to permanently store carbon dioxide in underground rock formations on public land in Carter County took place at 3 p.m. on June 25th in Ekalaka. The meeting was hosted by Carter County residents, Northern Plains Resource Council members and staff with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) staff in attendance.

The Denbury Carbon Solutions, LLC Snowy River CO2 Sequestration Project project would store carbon dioxide in more than 100,000 acres of subsurface pore space. The proposed area south and west of Ekalaka is locally known as the C and B Grazing District.

Over 40 people attended, with the meeting objective being to further discuss the necessity for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The BLM will make a decision to either complete an EIS, or utilize the current environmental assessment and either approve or deny the "right of way" for the project prior to this September.

The meeting started out with a review of the timeline and the many decision-making entities and junctures. A series of topics were discussed including the proposed projects geologic formations, the impacts to water, range, public and environmental health. Community members can refer to the recorded meeting in April of 2024 between the BLM, EPA and the Carter County Commissioners for more information.

The meeting surfaced information such as identification of a BLM process called "Application of Notice to Proceed." This is a built in check-point for the BLM to ensure that Denbury has complied with other entities such as the EPA, the Montana DNRC (land board, board of oil and gas, Greater Sage Grouse Committee and others). This will be helpful for community members to keep in mind should the "right of way" be approved.

For more information, call or email Northern Plains Resource Council at [email protected] or 406-248-1154.