Community Benefits Snapshot: Tallgrass-Bold Alliance CO2 Pipeline Community Benefits Agreement

The document details a legally binding community benefits agreement (CBA) for the $1.5 billion Trailblazer CO2 pipeline project. Tallgrass is converting a 392-mile pipeline to transport CO2 from Nebraska ethanol plants to sequestration sites in Wyoming. The CBA, negotiated with Bold Alliance and endorsed by 11 Nebraska organizations, provides specific landowner protections, public safety funding, and community investments to mitigate local opposition and ensure project viability.

• The CBA establishes a unique shared value program consisting of a 10-year royalty program where landowners and a community foundation each receive an annual endowment of $0.10 per metric ton of CO2 sequestered, potentially totaling $1 million per year for landowners at maximum capacity.
• Landowner protections include a 48-hour notice before surveying, a $500 payment if surveyed land is not used, and a requirement for a 90-day good-faith-negotiation period before the use of eminent domain, which Tallgrass agreed to treat as a last resort.
• To address public safety risks associated with CO2 leaks, Tallgrass committed $400,000 for equipment and $200,000 for training first responders, up to $40,000 annually for equipment replacement, and $100,000 to develop a regional CO2 emergency alert system with the Nebraska Department of Emergency Management.
• Community investment includes an initial $500,000 donation to a community fund and an annual endowment of up to $1 million based on sequestered CO2 volumes, with grants managed by a neutral third party.
• The CBA is legally binding and monitored by a full-time staff member hired by Bold Alliance; non-compliance can lead to lawsuits following a 60-day written notice period to resolve issues.
• The agreement was endorsed by 11 Nebraska-based organizations, including the Nebraska Farm Bureau and Nebraska Corn Growers Association, though these groups are not legally party to the CBA.

APA

World Resources Institute (2024). Community Benefits Snapshot: Tallgrass-Bold Alliance CO2 Pipeline Community Benefits Agreement. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/community-benefits-snapshot-tallgrass-bold-alliance-co2-pipeline-community-benefits

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Community Benefits Snapshot: Tallgrass-Bold Alliance CO2 Pipeline Community Benefits Agreement. 2024. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/community-benefits-snapshot-tallgrass-bold-alliance-co2-pipeline-community-benefits.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Community Benefits Snapshot: Tallgrass-Bold Alliance CO2 Pipeline Community Benefits Agreement |date=3 December 2024 |url=https://www.wri.org/snapshots/community-benefits-snapshot-tallgrass-bold-alliance-co2-pipeline-community-benefits |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2024community, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Community Benefits Snapshot: Tallgrass-Bold Alliance CO2 Pipeline Community Benefits Agreement}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/snapshots/community-benefits-snapshot-tallgrass-bold-alliance-co2-pipeline-community-benefits}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }