DES MOINES, Iowa — Advocates and landowners rallied at the state capitol on Thursday, pushing for legislation that would bring establish oversight over the Iowa Utilities Board when issuing CO2 pipelines. The bill would also require the courts to determine if eminent domain is applicable to the carbon pipeline.
The Summit carbon pipeline is currently proposed to go through private property and the state is citing eminent domain to make the pipeline a reality, leaving landowners frustrated.
"The biggest threat to Iowa is happening right now," said Martin Maher. "Our prime farmland is at the risk of being destroyed."
HSB608 and SF2097 are two pieces of legislation that are being pushed to address concerns surrounding eminent domain and carbon pipelines.
"It is a private economic developer project, they should use voluntary ESMIS to build it," said Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison. "They should not use the heavy-handed government to take the private property of others, and that is what the issue is here and that is what our legislation tries to get to."
Holt, who introduced this legislation in the house, says the current carbon pipeline process raises constitutional questions regarding eminent domain.
"In the current situation, getting the court to weigh in on whether this is a public use project, at least that constitutional requirement, it would avoid a lot of heartache down the road, so I think that's the most important part of the proposal and I think that's what I'm gonna fight to try to get through," Holt said.
Advocates are calling on legislators to step in and re-evaluate whether what carbon pipelines are doing is constitutional or not.
"Eminent domain, if this is allowed, it won't stop with a pipeline," said Kathy Carter, a landowner impacted by the Summit pipeline. "It will go on to other projects, other companies, it will snowball."
Ultimately, safety is the biggest concern for constituents.
"We're here today to say, this isn't just about eminent domain," said Jess Mazour, conservation program coordinator for the Sierra Club of Iowa. "It's not just about a greedy company coming in and trying to take our land, it's about protecting the citizens of the state."
The legislation in the House has passed out of subcommittee, but is waiting for a committee hearing. Meanwhile, in the Iowa Senate, the bill has yet to reach a subcommittee hearing.