I knew the three proposed C02 pipelines were unpopular in rural Iowa. They're taxpayer-funded boondoggles that support rich pipeline investors and masquerade as an "environmentally friendly" climate change solution.
But a new Reuters analysis of the Summit Carbon Solutions project — headed by Bruce Rastetter — shows just how unpopular these pipelines are in our state. According to Iowa Utilities Board 
data, of the 868 public comments filed on the Summit proposal, 98.9% are opposed to the pipeline. And as of Feb. 22, the most recent data available, "Summit had recorded only 40 easements containing 68 tracts of land and covering 13.6 miles of the pipeline route." Rastetter's Summit project is supposed to cover over 700 miles.
With numbers like these, C02 pipeline investors are turning to eminent domain to take away landowners' rights.
It's time for Iowa's political leaders, especially Governor Kim Reynolds, to stand with the people against these pipelines by preventing eminent domain from being used for private gain.
Julie Duhn
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement member
Eldora, Iowa
