As an Iowa landowner in Senate District 27, for four years I’ve watched the Iowa House advance multiple bills regarding property rights protection from hazardous carbon pipelines to the Iowa Senate, where they are ignored. Thank you, Rep. Dean Fisher, for joining the Republican Legislator Intervenors for Justice, a group united to protect landowners from eminent domain. Sen. Annette Sweeney has not chosen to join this group. Every attempt for a property rights bill in the Iowa Senate in 2022, 2023 and 2024 was directed by Senate President Amy Sinclair to the same “dead-end” subcommittee. Recently, one of many bills to protect property rights moved from subcommittee to full committee in the Senate. Hope was dashed when the head of the committee, Sen. Bousselot, rewrote and gutted the bill at the last minute. Why has Gov. Reynolds ignored requests to meet with landowners on this issue? Is the Summit pipeline CEO Bruce Rastetter’s political connections to Gov. Reynolds and Senators a factor blocking property right legislation? South Dakota and Minnesota will not allow eminent domain for these projects, are Iowans less deserving of protection? I would like to remind Gov. Reynolds, Sen. Sweeney and Senate leadership to remember the Des Moines Register Poll, almost 80% of Iowans do not want eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. Iowa will be impacted by more pipelines. If this legislative session ends without a vote on eminent domain for a hazardous carbon pipeline, it’s time to follow the actions of South Dakota residents and vote out Senators who do not protect property rights from eminent domain abuse.

Deb Lavalle

Trumbull, Conn.