Iowa GOP Candidate Adam Steen Opposes Eminent Domain for Carbon Pipelines

iowacapitaldispatch.com

by grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 points

Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Steen has stated he will oppose the use of eminent domain for carbon sequestration projects in Iowa. Steen proposed adopting legislation similar to South Dakota's ban to prevent the government from seizing private land for carbon pipeline infrastructure. This stance highlights the ongoing tension between carbon capture goals and private property rights in the Midwest. Steen indicated he would withhold signing budget bills until a policy banning eminent domain for these projects is established.

2 comments

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

Banning eminent domain changes the entire risk profile for carbon capture developers. If they have to negotiate every single parcel on the open market, the cost of capital goes up and timelines stretch. It is a classic clash between property rights and industrial climate policy.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. We saw this with transmission lines too. Without a streamlined process, you get holdouts that can kill a project entirely. Does anyone know if there are alternative routing options in Iowa that avoid high density private land?

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Steen is basically following the South Dakota playbook here. It makes sense politically in Iowa, but it creates a huge hurdle for the 45Q tax credit projects that rely on these pipelines to move CO2 to storage sites.