Landowners and environmentalists staged a die-in Thursday at the Iowa Capitol as part of rally urging lawmakers to pass legislation to address growing concerns about safety and the use of eminent domain for proposed carbon capture pipelines.
A state regulatory panel rules local governments can’t impose their own ordinances over the proposed CO2 pipeline’s route.
An Iowa House subcommittee unanimously approved a bill to allow the Iowa Legislature to intervene in a permitting process of a pipeline or other energy project seeking to use eminent domain.
Because POET’s Iowa plants were not on Summit’s original route, they won’t be part of Summit’s permit application now under review by the Iowa Utilities Board.
Final arguments over Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline permit have concluded, and the Iowa Utilities Board is set to decide whether to approve the controversial project.
Ethanol producers must lower the carbon intensity scores of their fuels or face less demand for their products — caused by a combination of the rise of electric vehicles and increased ethanol production in Brazil. That was the warning last week of Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, which held its annual summit on Thursday.
Vivik Ramaswamy rallies supporters against projects, criticizes state leaders.
The hottest topics were about energy, pipelines and farmland ownership. Water quality may get limited exposure through a bill that seeks to relax restrictions on developers. Because Republicans have majorities in the Iowa Senate and House of Representatives, what their caucus wants, they likely will get.
The vote comes despite the imminent threat of litigation from Summit Carbon Solutions, which has sued three counties for imposing similar restrictions.
A federal judge this week permanently barred two Iowa counties from enforcing their ordinances that restrict the placement of carbon dioxide pipelines.
The newly scheduled hearing concerns ordinances in two counties that restrict how close the pipelines can be located to cities, houses, livestock facilities and other sites. Summit has argued they are so restrictive that they might prevent the project.
Republican presidential candidate pushing issue in Iowa this week
Presidential hopeful criticizes ‘establishment GOP’ for its support of eminent domain process
One project bows out but here’s the latest from the other two pipeline proposals.
“This voluntary action does not impact our commitment to the project and its stakeholders, or the ongoing regulatory processes, including with the Iowa Utilities Board and Army Corps of Engineers,” said Dean Ferguson, the company’s president.
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