Iowa House committee approves pair of eminent domain bills

DES MOINES - An Iowa House committee approved a pair of eminent domain bills that, according to their sponsor are 'very simply protect property rights” - one on a party-line vote, the other unanimous.

The targets of the bills offered by House Government Oversight Committee Chairman Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, are 'merchant lines,” such as the proposed Rock Island Clean Line electric transmission line, and a proposed man-made lake in Clarke County.

Democrats opposed House Study Bill 222 because they believed it would usurp the authority of the Iowa Utilities Board to rule on the Rock Island Clean Line application.

'We have a process in place,” said Rep. Phyllis Thede, D-Bettendorf, said. 'We want to make sure people are safe with their land, but we also want to make sure the process works.”

The Rock Island Clean Line proposal is for a $2 billion overhead, high voltage electric transmission line that would span 500 miles from O'Brien County in northwest Iowa to Illinois. It would carry up to 3,500 megawatts.

The committee accepted Kaufmann's amendment to allow the use of eminent domain if a transmission line company chooses to have 'on- and offramps” to allow Iowa wind energy producers to sell electricity onto the line or allow Iowa utilities to obtain energy from the line.

However, that wasn't enough to convince four committee Democrats who voted against HSB 222.

Kaufmann's other bill, HSB 223, was approved 9-0. It would restrict lake developments to being no larger than necessary to provide a community's drinking water. It would not allow the use of eminent domain to take private property for recreation and development.

Both bills go to the full House. Kaufmann has been discussing his proposals with senators and believes they will take up his lakes bill. He hopes the Senate will take up the transmission line, too.

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