Shelby County, Iowa (RI) — Three Republican candidates for governor appeared at a rally on a western Iowa farm yesterday (Sunday) and each promised to defend the private property rights of Iowans who’ve been fighting to keep a carbon pipeline off their land. Candidate Adam Steen of Runnels — an entrepreneur and former state agency director — says he’d sign a bill that would bar Summit Carbon Solutions from using eminent domain to seize land along the company’s proposed pipeline route.
The candidates were given 15 minutes to speak to the crowd and then answered questions from the audience. Steen brought up Congressman Randy Feenstra, who’s expected to formally launch his campaign for governor soon.
A spokesman for Feenstra was not immediately available for comment on Sunday. Sunday’s event featured several state legislators who worked to pass a bill that would have established new regulations for the proposed pipeline. Candidate Eddie Andrews of Johnston says he loves Governor Reynolds, but Andrews says she was dead wrong to veto that bill in June.
Andrews has been a state representative since 2021.
Rastetter owns Summit Carbon Solutions, the company that has proposed building a pipeline through five states to collect carbon from ethanol plants. Candidate Brad Sherman of Williamsburg, a pastor who served one term in the Iowa House, says there’s no need to build a pipeline to sequester carbon.
The forum was held on a Shelby County farm and the crowd was encouraged to donate to the campaign of local State Representative Steven Holt of Denison. Holt has led Iowa House debate of several pipeline-related bills over the past few years.
KIWA Staff Photo
