Democratic State Representative Chuck Isenhart represents Iowa House district 72, covering part of Dubuque and nearby areas. He is a member of the Iowa House Economic Growth Committee, the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, and the Natural Resources and Infrastructure Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures. The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald published a shorter version of this article on October 9.

“No eminent domain for private gain” is the catch phrase of opponents contesting three proposals for carbon dioxide pipelines in Iowa.

The Summit Carbon Solutions project would transport up to 18 million tons of the emissions each year, mainly from Iowa ethanol plants, to be buried deep in porous rock formations in North Dakota.

Why? Arguably, to keep the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere, where it heats the air, causing climate change and weather disasters. At least that’s why the federal government is offering to pay $85 per ton for projects that capture and sequester carbon. At full capacity, that could be a $1.5 billion annual payday for Summit alone.

Owners of hundreds of parcels of land oppose the pipeline, mainly because they believe the productivity of farm ground will be lost and the integrity of drainage tiles will be damaged. Others question the safety of the pipelines.

Nancy Dugan lives in Altoona, Iowa and has worked as an online editor for the past 12 years.

A North Carolina attorney is conducting mediation sessions the Iowa Utilities Board has facilitated between Summit Carbon Solutions and landowners on the company’s proposed CO2 pipeline route, the board’s general counsel confirmed to Bleeding Heartland.

Shortly after becoming Iowa Utilities Board chair on May 1, Erik Helland presided over a June 6 status conference related to Summit Carbon Solutions’ CO2 pipeline project. Foremost on his agenda was the new, experimental idea of offering mediation to landowners and Summit Carbon representatives. Helland explained:

Also included in the May 19 order was a proposal about potentially using mediators to assist voluntary landowners with the easement negotiation process. The Board stated it was exploring this idea and would seek input from the parties at this meeting.

Nancy Dugan lives in Altoona, Iowa and has worked as an online editor for the past 12 years. 

Late in the afternoon on Friday, August 18, attorney Anna Ryon filed a Motion to Stay Proceedings on behalf of Kerry Mulvania Hirth with the Iowa Utilities Board (Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC, IUB docket number HLP-2021-0001).

In the motion, Ryon asserts that Board staff “improperly coerced Ms. Hirth into relinquishing her right to participate in this proceeding that was granted by the Board on July 19, 2023.” Items 12 to 15 of the motion are reproduced in full below: