A Kansas energy company, Tallgrass Energy, is set to activate its $1.5 billion carbon dioxide pipeline this week, simultaneously launching a pioneering program to share some of its profits with the rural communities along its route. The company announced on Tuesday that it will soon begin shipping CO2 from the first of 11 ethanol plants in Nebraska and Iowa through the repurposed 392-mile pipeline. The former natural gas pipeline will transport the carbon dioxide across Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming to a sequestration site. In conjunction with the launch, Tallgrass announced an initial donation of $500,000 to the new “Trailblazer Community Investment Fund,” managed by the Nebraska Community Foundation. The fund will help address major rural challenges like food insecurity and a lack of quality early childhood education.