STANTON COUNTY, Neb. -- An over 2000-mile carbon pipeline will have to regroup after an eight-and-a-half-mile stretch was denied in Stanton County by the county commissioners on Tuesday.

Summit Carbon Solution's anticipated pipeline runs over 163 miles in Nebraska beginning in Atkinson and running through seven counties before combining with the carbon pipeline in Iowa.

A carbon pipeline captures CO2 emissions from ethanol plants by capturing and storing carbon dioxide in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Summit had their conditional use permit (CUP) approved at the planning commission last Monday.

The Stanton County Planning Commission approved the application for the CUP at their meeting on Feb. 12 with a vote of 5-2.

Project Manager Brent Niese said Stanton, Antelope, and Dakota counties are the only counties in Nebraska that have the requirement to have a CUP.

He said the pipeline has 90% acquisition in Stanton County and has already paid those landowners.

Commissioner Duane Rehak said Summit should not have paid the landowners without getting all of them on board.

"Go get all the people that want it...Okay, great, but you don't get payment until everyone agrees on it because you guys actually threw money away now if it doesn't go through," Rehak said. "Whatever you guys spent is thrown in a wastepaper basket."

Those for and against the pipeline spoke to the commissioners and one of the major revolving concerns was the unknown health risk the pipeline could cause Stanton County.

"Until and unless that we can be absolutely certain that this is the safest method of transporting this gas, we must not submit our population to this pipeline,” said Marta Chenoweth, Stanton County resident.

Stanton County resident Neil Heimes echoed Chenoweth’s sentiment of safety.

"I will accept your offer of a pipeline, if you can prove and guarantee in writing that it is 100% safe,” said Neil Heimes, Stanton County resident.

Those in favor of the pipeline said the reason the pipeline is so important for the state is what it provides for the ethanol plants.

“This pipeline is probably what we need to remain viable into the future,” said Clark Gansebom, board of director of Husker Ag. “We don’t know what the future holds, however, we do know what the government is pushing.”

After the commissioners brought up wanting to help Nebraskans instead of other states like California, Husker Ag President in Plainview Bill Steffen said ethanol plants in Nebraska do.

“Do we rely on California? Ethanol plants, unfortunately kind of have to, which points back to the corn farmer,” Steffen said.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said Nebraska produces the second most ethanol in the country.

Commissioners said they are all for the pipeline, but Summit needs to provide more information to those affected by the pipeline in the county.

They voted unanimously to deny the application and asked for more information to give the public about the project and, potentially, review the pipeline's path through Stanton County.

The permit was denied, but Summit is able to re-submit a CUP application to the planning commission, and after doing so, present their plan to the Stanton County Commissioners.