Ahead of the 91st Iowa General Assembly, one state senator comments on a key issue that is expected to return from last year.

District 24 Senator Jesse Green says the topic of eminent domain will be brought up again after Governor Kim Reynolds vetoed a bill that passed the legislature last session. Summit Carbon Solutions is seeking to build an underground liquid carbon dioxide pipeline that will capture the carbon emissions from ethanol plants in several Midwestern states and transport it to an underground storage facility outside of Iowa.

Green tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the eminent domain bill was one of the final pieces of legislation of the session that prevented the use of eminent domain for all pipelines, which the governor eventually vetoed.

“And that created a lot of division within (Senate) Republicans on what are we talking about here? Are we talking about just carbon or is it healthy to be trying to change all the rules in regards to other utilities? And so we couldn’t get unified. So I was actually on the opposite side of a lot of my friends that are anti-pipeline.”    

Green points out that he has been unwavering on his stance on this topic that he will only support a bill that is against using eminent domain specifically with regards to underground liquid carbon dioxide pipelines.

“Whatever that looks like. Do we compromise and we say, ‘Hey, let’s broaden the two mile corridor to ten miles or allow some of the flexibility to find new easements? But also take away eminent domain for the use of carbon pipelines.’ I’m fine with that and I will vote for any bill that looks like that.”    

The first day of the 2026 Iowa Legislative Session is this coming Monday, January 12th.