Can CO₂ Pipelines Carry America to Net Zero?

CO₂ pipelines gain momentum as key players in U.S. decarbonization plans

29 Oct 2025

The United States is quietly laying the groundwork for one of its most ambitious climate undertakings yet: a national network of carbon dioxide pipelines. These arteries of the net-zero economy are moving from blueprint to reality, stitching together the infrastructure needed to capture, transport, and store CO₂ deep underground.

Summit Carbon Solutions leads one of the largest efforts, with a 2,000-mile pipeline planned across five Midwestern states. The company recently cleared major regulatory hurdles in North Dakota, winning approval for both its route and its underground storage sites. Elsewhere, states like Iowa and South Dakota are still weighing permits, as debates over land rights and local oversight unfold.

Experts say the pipeline buildout marks steady, if uneven, progress toward a national carbon transport system. “The U.S. is building the framework for large-scale carbon management,” said an advisor at the Clean Air Task Force. “It’s an emerging industry learning as it goes.”

Federal incentives, particularly the Section 45Q tax credit, have helped attract investors. Advances in monitoring and design are also addressing public concerns about safety and transparency. The country already operates roughly 5,000 miles of CO₂ pipelines for industrial uses, but experts agree that a far larger network will be needed to make a dent in national emissions.

Challenges remain. Regulatory delays, landowner resistance, and questions of public trust still loom large. Yet the momentum is unmistakable as policymakers and developers try to balance innovation with environmental and community safeguards.

“Every major infrastructure shift comes with hurdles,” said a senior engineer involved in one of the projects. “But what’s happening now is the foundation for a system that could anchor America’s next energy transition.”

From the plains of North Dakota to the heart of the Corn Belt, carbon pipelines are no longer a distant vision. They are becoming the connective tissue of the country’s decarbonization effort and a test of how far the U.S. is willing to go to reach its net-zero goals.