Des Moines, Iowa (RI) – Iowa House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann says there’s a high level of interest among House Republicans to respond to landowners who don’t want Summit Carbon Solutions to seize segments of their property for the company’s proposed pipeline. Kaufmann was highly critical of Governor Reynolds decision six months ago to veto a bill that would have made it more difficult for Summit — and other companies — to use eminent domain for pipelines and other utility infrastructure.
Kaufmann isn’t predicting what proposal may come up for a vote, but during an interview with Radio Iowa, he mentioned the law South Dakota’s governor signed in March that bans the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines.
But Kaufmann says he’s polling his fellow House Republicans to determine what the group supports and he plans to meet with Governor Reynolds to discuss it. Kaufmann isn’t withdrawing his criticism of her pipeline bill veto.
Meanwhile, Senate Republican Leader Mike Klimesh will be introducing a bill to create a 10 mile zone around the proposed routes for utility infrastructure. Klimesh says it would let developers find new paths to avoid properties owned by people who don’t want the project on their land.
Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says the proposal Klimesh is talking about has no guarantee that Summit would be prohibited from using eminent domain to seize property along the pipeline route.
Holt is among a group of House members who’ve worked on and passed several bills over the past few years to set up new regulations for carbon pipelines or even block the Summit project.
(KIWA Staff photo)
