The property rights debate in Iowa isn’t over

It was disappointing but hardly a surprise.

Last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed a bill intended to restrict the use of eminent domain authority to acquire land for hazardous liquid pipelines.

The bill, HF 639, would have defined in state law what constitutes a public good for the use of eminent domain, making it far more difficult to use eminent domain for private projects, such as carbon pipelines. It also required hazardous liquid pipeline companies to carry a certain amount of insurance and restore damaged farmland, among other provisions.

Summit Carbon Solutions is planning a 2,500-mile, $9 billion pipeline that will carry liquid carbon emissions from ethanol plants through Iowa and South Dakota for underground storage in North Dakota. The project has outraged landowners who don’t want to allow the project to use eminent domain to acquire land.

More than just one pipeline is at stake. If private companies can use eminent domain to seize land for profit, every Iowa landowner is vulnerable.

The bill was approved by a large bipartisan majority in the House. In the Senate, where previous bills have died, it was approved 27-21, with 13 Republicans and 14 Democrats voting for passage.

But Reynolds, in her veto message, argued the bill is too broad and vague and could hamper welcome investments

So what’s next?

The governor pledged to work with lawmakers.

"We can do better," Reynolds wrote in her veto message. "And I'm committed to working with the Legislature to strengthen landowner protections, modernize permitting and respect private property."

What are her ideas? All parties could come to the table to discuss definitions and options, not just point fingers

The governor’s pledge is drawing skepticism.

“Governor, what have you done in the last four years to limit the use of eminent domain? I can think of nothing,” Page County farmer Marty Maher said at a news conference. “We will be back in 2026 to see if you live up to the promises that you made in this veto letter.”

Reynolds also damaged her relationship with House Republicans.

“I vow to work to kill every single piece of legislation that has her name on it. Her days of legislating, as far as I’m personally concerned, are over,” Republican Rep. Bobby Kaufmann said in response to the veto.

If pipeline opponents need to start building their next proposals for the Legislature now.

Knowing they need Reynolds’ signature to make a bill law, they’ll have to consider ways to make the bill more palatable to the governor. That’s tough, but necessary.

Summit’s project may not happen. Federal tax credits bankrolling the project face an uncertain future under President Donald Trump. And Summit can’t build its Iowa pipeline without permission to build in South Dakota, which has defeated the plan twice.

Reynolds’ veto isn't the end — not if Iowans continue standing up for their land and their rights. This fight was never about one pipeline. It’s about who decides what happens to private property in Iowa — elected leaders or corporations.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com