The Sierra Club of Iowa is claiming the Senate commerce committee pulled a “bait and switch” on a bill related to carbon pipelines. The committee approved extensive amendments removing proposed protections for landowners and a 25-year limit on operating carbon pipelines. During a presentation to the Iowa Farmers Union, Sierra Club of Iowa spokesperson Jess Mazour said the new language works in favor of companies like Summit Carbon Solutions.
“It is not a property rights bill. It is now what we're calling Summit's bill of rights. They did a bait and switch on us and put in really bad language that actually makes it easier for projects like Summit and other carbon pipelines to get approved in Iowa.”
Mazour says one new provision would force the Iowa Utilities Commission to approve or reject a pipeline permit within one year of receiving an application.
“So we think back to where we were at one year after Summit first applied. We would not have been ready to take this to court. It takes a long time to do discovery, find expert witnesses, meet these landowners and educate ourselves about a project that's probably been in the works for a decade. And so we're having to play catch up from day one.”
Mazour says the Sierra Club testified, and Senators voted in the subcommittee stage without knowledge of the changes. The bill is now eligible for a vote by the full Senate.