For well over a year, Iowa farmers and their property rights have come under attack by private companies seeking to build carbon-capture pipelines on their land. Thankfully, legislation has been introduced in the Iowa General Assembly that would protect and restore their property rights while pushing back against the pipelines.
Senate File 101 (S.F. 101) was introduced last month by Senator Jeff Taylor (R-Sioux Center). If enacted, this bill would prohibit the use of eminent domain for private utility projects, including carbon-capture pipelines on agricultural land. This would be a significant step toward protecting and restoring property rights in Iowa.
Additionally, Sen. Taylor introduced four other bills that push back against carbon-capture pipelines in various ways. One of them, Senate File 104 (S.F. 104) would require companies to obtain landowner approval for at least 90 percent of the proposed pipeline route in order to use eminent domain for the remaining land; this would effectively kill Iowa’s current carbon-capture pipeline projects.
Senate File 102 (S.F. 102) would require landowners’ approval to conduct land surveys, Senate File 103 (S.F. 103) would prevent companies from contacting landowners to negotiate voluntary easements without prior “signed, witnessed, and notarized written permission” from the landowners, and Senate File 100 (S.F. 100) would require the companies to make public their investors.
According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Taylor described S.F. 101 as “my No. 1 preference because it gives the strongest protection to landowners and does the best job of addressing the constitutional problems with eminent domain for private companies for private profit.” However, he admitted the proposal would face difficulty receiving approval by the General Assembly.
This is not the first time Senator Taylor has introduced legislation to push back against the carbon-capture pipeline threat. Last year, he also introduced legislation to end eminent domain for carbon-capture pipeline projects. Unfortunately, the Senate Commerce Committee rejected that bill, failing to take action on it before the legislative deadline.
Carbon-capture Pipeline Threat
S.F. 101 was introduced in response to three carbon-capture pipelines that were proposed in Iowa, which combined would lay about 2,000 miles of pipeline in the state. One of the companies pushing these pipelines is working with BlackRock and its CEO Larry Fink. BlackRock is one of the most powerful entities worldwide pushing an extreme, “woke” agenda.
Under current Iowa law, these companies have the ability to use eminent domain to confiscate land from farmers and others in order to build the pipelines. This is despite the fact that the pipelines are entirely private and will not directly benefit the public. Furthermore, some of the companies that would profit are foreign-based and have troubled histories.
Additionally, the carbon-capture pipelines are closely connected to the UN’s Agenda 2030 “sustainable development” scheme to eliminate private property and totally reshape society in the name of fighting “climate change.” The pipelines also are associated with serious safety concerns, and have been shown to be a poor investment.
The Iowa General Assembly would be wise to strongly stand up for property rights — and against Agenda 2030 — by enacting S.F. 101 and resisting efforts to water down the legislation.
Iowa residents can contact their legislators in support of S.F. 101 by visiting The John Birch Society’s legislative alert here. Everyone can take action against Agenda 2030 and the Great Reset by visiting JBS’s action project page here.
