Summit Carbon Pipeline faces $15M lawsuit over pipe order as project shrinks

Summit Carbon Solutions is heading to trial in a $15 million lawsuit over a cancelled pipe order for its carbon capture pipeline. The pipe manufacturer Welspun Tubular says Summit tried to delay and then cancel a $183 million order for 785 miles of pipe after the project ran into regulatory delays and public opposition. Summit scaled back its pipeline plans in May 2026, proposing a new route that avoids South Dakota and stores CO2 in Wyoming instead of North Dakota. The trial starts June 15 in Delaware and comes as Summit's project faces growing uncertainty. The company lost its South Dakota permit and now needs Iowa regulators to approve a significantly altered route. Environmental groups say the project is falling apart, while landowners are challenging expanded use of eminent domain. The outcome of this lawsuit could signal how much risk suppliers are willing to take on large carbon infrastructure projects.