About 70 Iowa candidates responded to a Sierra Club Iowa Chapter survey on carbon pipelines and eminent domain ahead of the midterms. The survey asked whether eminent domain should be used for CO2 pipelines, what candidates have done to protect landowner property rights, and how they would handle the issue if elected. Both major party candidates for governor, Zach Lahn and Rob Sand, said they would sign legislation blocking eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. U.S. Senate candidate Thomas Laehn went further, proposing to eliminate federal tax credits 45Q and 45Z. Landowners stressed that the next governor will appoint two of the three members of the Iowa Utilities Commission, which makes the race central to future pipeline decisions. The full candidate responses are available through the Iowa Easement Action Team database. The survey gives voters a direct comparison of where candidates stand on property rights and carbon infrastructure.
