Disgraceful. That’s the best way to describe the travesty of the Iowa Utility Board’s decision to greenlight the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline on Tuesday, June 25.

This unelected board, appointed by Gov. Reynolds and confirmed by the Iowa Senate, dealt a serious blow to private property rights. This action allows a private corporation to utilize eminent domain in 29 Iowa counties, in the process violating private property rights, setting the stage for a new threat to public safety, and guaranteeing a loss of at least 3.36 billion gallons of water every year for operational purposes. All this for a pipeline with questionable success rates and even more questionable origins that will ultimately line the pockets of a private corporation.

Many private citizens as well as legislators from both sides of the aisle worked to stop this, but ultimately Republican leadership in the state legislature and the strong hand of the governor paved the way for this decision. Our leaders in Iowa had multiple years to act on this issue; their inaction speaks volumes about where their priorities lie.

As a state, we should look for creative, sustainable ways to reduce our carbon footprint and address the climate crisis issue, but we cannot do it by extorting local farmers and landowners. This is, first and foremost, a money grab that will have rippling consequences. With this decision a new precedent is set; your private land is now up for corporate grab. If a private corporation has enough money to line the pockets of political pawns, your rights as a landowner are no longer guaranteed. Eminent domain has its place when it benefits the public good, but this is far from its intended use. It is the leaders of Iowa playing politics with the lives of rural Iowans, and it is disgraceful.

Benjamin Schauer, Dunlap
Dunlap City Councilman
Candidate, Iowa House of Representative (District 15)

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