The Carbon Pipe That Crude Built

Summit Carbon Solutions shifts its Midwest pipeline project from carbon storage to enhanced oil recovery, altering the US supply picture

28 Apr 2026

Summit Carbon Solutions has reversed course on its proposed 2,000-mile CO2 pipeline network, repositioning it from underground carbon storage to supplying CO2 for enhanced oil recovery across the US Midwest. The company, which once stated publicly that its pipeline would not serve EOR purposes, is now targeting oil fields in Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas.

The shift marks a significant change in direction for one of the largest carbon infrastructure projects under development in the United States.

Under the revised plan, CO2 captured from ethanol plants across the Midwest would be transported and injected into oil reservoirs, thinning crude oil and increasing the volumes that can be extracted. The technique can, in some cases, double the recovery rate from a single reservoir.

The pivot reflects changes to federal tax policy under the Trump administration. Expanded tax credits for CO2 used in EOR have narrowed the economic advantage that once made pure carbon storage the more attractive option, making the EOR route commercially stronger for Summit's investors. Regulatory approval for the project's new purpose remains pending. Permitting challenges in Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota continue to affect the timeline.

The development carries implications beyond Summit alone. CO2 supply constraints have long limited the expansion of EOR activity outside the Permian Basin. A dedicated Midwest pipeline, if it clears its remaining regulatory hurdles, would meaningfully broaden the feedstock available to operators in the region and could support EOR activity in fields that have historically lacked access to reliable CO2 volumes.

Whether the project proceeds on that basis will depend on permitting outcomes still unresolved across several states.