Des Moines, Iowa – Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, suggests he and Republican Governor Kim Reynolds have something in common when it comes to rejecting bills to restrict the use of eminent domain. Reynolds vetoed a bill last month, saying it would impose new regulations on more than just a proposed carbon pipeline.
In 2006, during his last year as governor, Vilsack vetoed a bill designed to make it harder for cities and counties to use eminent domain authority to acquire land for economic development projects. Vilsack discussed his veto during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa PBS.
Vilsack suggests the lack of growth in Iowa’s rural areas is factor in the push back against the carbon pipeline.
And Vilsack, who served a dozen years as the US Secretary of Agriculture, says the pipeline is about ensuring a future for the ethanol industry.
A bill President Biden signed in 2022 included 12 BILLION dollars for projects to capture, transport and store carbon. The tax and policy bill President Trump signed this month changed some clean energy tax credits, but the carbon sequestration credits from the Biden era were preserved.
