Iowa Republicans to file lawsuits against Summit pipeline decision

A group of Iowa Republican lawmakers plans to ask federal and state courts to rule that the Iowa Utilities Commission acted illegally and unconstitutionally in its approval of a controversial pipeline project. 

The group of nearly 40 Iowa lawmakers comprising the Republican Legislative Intervenors for Justice announced their plan to sue in a news release Tuesday. 

The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, “prioritizes corporate interests in tax credits over the safety, property rights, and well-being of Iowa’s citizens,” according to a statement from the group.

The $8 billion carbon-capture pipeline project would connect to 57 ethanol plants and stretch across most of Iowa and into Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.

The Iowa Utilities Commission approved the application in June, under the conditions that Summit Carbon Solutions submitted documentation of various regulating requirements, and a hefty insurance policy. 

The Iowa-based company met these requirements and was issued a construction permit by the commission at the end of August. However,  Iowa construction cannot begin until the project is approved in the Dakotas, where it has also faced pushback from landowners and lawmakers.

In addition to the impending legal filings, the opposing group of legislators met to strategize upcoming legislative approaches, like eminent domain reform and adjusting the functions of the Iowa Utilities Commission, to stop the pipeline. 

The Iowa House has approved limits on eminent domain for carbon pipelines in recent years but the Senate has not acted.

“We are determined to fight this reckless decision in the courts and in the General Assembly,” Rep. Charley Thomson said in the press release. “This isn’t just about stopping one pipeline. It’s about safeguarding our communities, our land, and our constitutional rights from future overreach.”

The members of the Republican Legislative Intervenors for Justice, according to the group’s news release, include: Sens. Kevin Alons, Rocky De Witt, Lynn Evans, Jesse Green, Dennis Guth, Mark Lofgren, David Rowley, Sandy Salmon, Jason Schultz, Jeff Taylor and Cherielynn Westrich. Also, Reps. Eddie Andrews, Brooke Boden, Steven Bradley, Ken Carlson, Mark Cisneros, Zach Dieken, Dean Fisher, Dan Gehlbach, Thomas Gerhold, Cindy Golding, Helena Hayes, Representative Bob Henderson, Representative Steven Holt, Representative Heather Hora, Thomas Jeneary, Bobby Kaufman, Joshua Meggers, Anne Osmundson, Bradley Sherman, Jeff Shipley, Luana Stoltenberg, Henry Stone, Mark Thompson, Charles Thomson, Skyler Wheeler, and Derek Wulf.