Planning commission approves Northwestern Energy renewable‑natural‑gas receipt station

The Lincoln County Planning Commission on Monday approved a conditional‑use permit for a renewable natural gas receiving station that will collect methane from an on‑site digester and route it into an existing pipeline.

Toby Brown, a planning and zoning staff member, told commissioners the application covers an approximately 1.85‑acre easement and a 203‑square‑foot building that exceeds the county threshold triggering conditional‑use review. "Staff did analyze and recommend approval with the six conditions that were listed in the staff report," Brown said.

Landon Scholte, Northwestern Energy's project representative, described the facility as a renewable natural gas receipt station that will tie into the company's Sioux River ethanol pipeline. "All we are requesting at this time is the receipt station," Scholte said, adding the full pipeline route would be about 2 miles and roughly half a mile would run through the easement under consideration.

Commissioners questioned whether similar facilities exist in the county and whether pipeline construction would require additional county approvals. Brown said similar digesters exist on other dairies and that pipeline routing is a permissive use and not part of this conditional‑use application.

A motion to approve the permit with staff's six recommended conditions passed on roll call. The chair read the roll call into the record: Monty, Giuseau, Sweeter, Moser and Jung voted yes; Otten and Scott abstained. The permit will proceed subject to the listed conditions.

The planning commission's decision applies only to the station and easement on the parcel; any separate pipeline easements or township permits remain subject to other review and approvals.