SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Multiple carbon dioxide pipeline projects are being proposed and they would run through Siouxland. However, the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors heard about a possible alternative on Tuesday.

Brought to the board by a county resident, a company called Carbon Sync would like to build a methanol plant in the Port Neal Industrial Complex.

Proponents of this idea say housing methanol in our community is much safer than ethanol, which, if a leak occurred would be dangerous and deadly.

Building a methanol plant would give Woodbury County the chance to benefit from this resource that would be flowing through the community.

“We are looking at a very valuable commodity,” said Board Chair Matthew Ung, “And if these pipelines are to be built, should Woodbury County be a conduit? And give up all of this value? Particularly when it comes through other states to ours. So, there is always potential to use CO2 in innovative ways.”

The resident who proposed the plan is also advising the board to approve legal counsel before beginning the process. He said they should file a petition to intervene with the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) to consider Woodbury County separately and individually. He added that he believes methanol is potentially even more valuable than ethanol.

“By putting it through a methanol process, it will also produce two gallons of methanol,” said Moville resident Doyle Turner, “Now, the way things are going with the way the shipping industry wants its methanol, the price of methanol is probably going to make that methanol worth more than the ethanol. So, the ethanol will become a by-product of this process.”

The next step is taking the proposal to the IUB and objections need to be filed by July.

The board indicated that they feel that regardless of where this plan goes, counties to be affected by the proposed CO2 Pipelines should align themselves and resist eminent domain.