A local Greene County-elected official is looking to see his bill pass this Iowa Legislative Session.

Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn says the bill he drafted deals with protecting agricultural landowners’ rights. With the recent approval from the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) of a construction permit to Summit Carbon Solutions to build an underground liquid carbon dioxide pipeline, and the IUC giving authority to Summit to use eminent domain for its first phase of the project, Laehn wanted to draft a bill that would limit the use of eminent domain by a company for these types of projects.

Laehn tells Raccoon Valley Radio in the current Iowa Code, it states that condemnation – or eminent domain – of agricultural land is prohibited unless the companies under the jurisdiction of the IUC can be allowed to use eminent domain to obtain agricultural land for projects. Laehn points out his bill would prohibit any companies within the IUC’s jurisdiction from using eminent domain on agriculture land to construct an underground hazardous liquified carbon dioxide pipeline.

“So Summit Carbon, or any other similar companies would instead have to negotiate with landowners and obtain their consent through free market transactions before building a liquified carbon dioxide pipeline.”

Laehn adds that he would support broader bills that would prohibit using eminent domain to build any hazardous liquid pipelines or any company from doing so under the IUC’s jurisdiction. 

The legislation is sponsored and will be run by Iowa District 24 Senator Jesse Green.