State Sen. Salmon: “Watershed Moment” for Opponents of Summit Carbon Pipeline

Opponents of the carbon capture pipeline proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions could be at a tipping point in their efforts to stop the project.

During an informational session Thursday (04.24) night at the Community Center in Floyd, Jess Mazour with the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter told some 40 audience members that recent actions against Summit in South Dakota are encouraging for Iowans against the pipeline.

The Iowa Utilities Commission’s (IUC) has approved Summit’s permit to build in Iowa, but not until it secures permits in South Dakota and North Dakota first. Still, Mazour says the threat of Summit utilizing eminent domain to seize remaining land for the project in Iowa is unprecedented.

State Senator Sandy Salmon, one of the few Republicans pushing for legislation in the Senate to put tighter restrictions on the use of eminent domain by Summit, told the audience the time has come to do just that.

Salmon, along with State Senator Doug Campbell, who was also in attendance, say they continue to lobby their Senate colleagues on more protection of Iowans’ property rights.

Meanwhile, Summit is also pursuing another permit to add more ethanol plants to their carbon pipeline network. To that, Mazour urges landowners  to file their opposition with the IUC right away, otherwise they might think that you don’t care and could result in Summit getting more eminent domain authority to build the pipeline through your property.

The Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, Bold Alliance, Iowa Easement Team, and impacted landowners are sponsoring meetings across the state to educate communities about carbon capture pipelines and prepare affected landowners for Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) proceedings.

Another  “Carbon Pipeline Opposition” meeting is scheduled for 6:30 pm Monday, May 5th, at the Manly Town Hall in Manly.