As some eminent domain bills have already been presented for the Oklahoma legislature to handle when it convenes in early February, legislators in Iowa have dealt with an eminent domain bill that arose from opposition to the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project.
The Iowa House passed a bill to ban the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines, a growing hot topic in the state where farmers and other landowners have objected to the pipelines.
One of the legislators, Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison said the power of condemnation should not be used for a project he thinks does not serve a public purpose.
“The precedent we will set if we allow private property to be seized for a private economic development project will reverberate for decades to come, and could render property rights safeguards in our constitution meaningless for our children and our children’s children,” said Rep. Holt.
The bill (HF 2104) passed 64-28. Most Republicans and 10 Democrats voted for the bill, and most Democrats and eight Republicans voted against it reported Iowa Public Radio.
A legislator who voted against the bill said if the measure becomes law, it means the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline would probably not be built.
“Having better markets for our products, worldwide markets for our products, is not only in my family’s best interest,” said Rep. Chad Ingels, R-Randalia. “It’s in my neighbor’s best interest. It’s in a farmer in southwest Iowa’s best interest, northwest Iowa. It’s in the best interest of our state.”
The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline has a benefactor in Oklahoma oilman Harold Hamm who has contributed millions for the project.
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