Iowa regulators reject subpoena request for Rastetter testimony

An agriculture mogul who has a significant role in a pending carbon dioxide pipeline proposal will not be required to testify during its permit proceedings, the Iowa Utilities Board decided this week.

Several people sought a subpoena to compel the under-oath testimony of Bruce Rastetter, a co-founder of Summit Carbon Solutions. Pipeline opponents wanted him to elaborate on the company’s ownership and the potential conflicts the company might have with Rastetter’s other business ventures.

The five-state pipeline system would transport captured carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to North Dakota for underground sequestration. Rastetter’s Summit Agricultural Group developed the concept of the project and is part-owner of Summit Carbon Solutions, one of its executives testified earlier this month.

If called to testify, Rastetter might have also faced questions about his interactions with elected Iowa officials. Pipeline opponents have speculated that his wealth and political influence have accelerated Summit’s project toward approval.

But in a unanimous decision Tuesday, the board said: “Mr. Rastetter’s testimony does not appear relevant.”

“There has been no showing as to why Mr. Rastetter, who is not an employee of Summit Carbon, is the best person to testify in this proceeding regarding the corporate structure of a non-party,” the board said.

The board further noted that the subpoena request did not meet a deadline for such requests and that there was ample opportunity to seek Rastetter’s testimony earlier in the proceedings. Summit’s permit process has been ongoing for more than two years.

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.