A state lawmaker gives his thoughts on a bill to address property owner rights as it pertains to a potential project.

District 24 Senator Jesse Green says the eminent domain bill regarding underground carbon dioxide pipelines has been passed by the full House and is in the Senate for consideration. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio the basic substance of the legislation is preventing the use of eminent domain for underground carbon dioxide pipelines.

“I’ve made it very clear and I’ve been consistent that anything that’s put in front of me that is related to eminent domain, specifically on carbon (dioxide) pipelines, I will support.”

Summit Carbon Solutions is proposing to build an underground carbon dioxide pipeline through Iowa and including several other states, that would capture carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol plants and transport them to an underground storage facility.

Green talks about Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh introducing his own bill that would allow for Summit to essentially go outside of the proposed primary route to find more willing landowners to establish voluntary easements. 

“And I think after studying this pretty intensely, I think just that alone is going to get us way over 90 percent voluntary easements, by allowing Summit to do that, without having to use eminent domain. So can we marry those two ideas together will be probably the most interesting question of (the legislative) session.” 

Green adds that every lawmaker has their own personal opinions about how this bill should be finalized and it could last several more weeks before something is passed by both chambers and onto the governor’s desk to possibly be signed into law.