Dear Friends,
(00:58) Blame Gov. Reynolds for the pipeline most Iowans oppose;
(31:36) Is the Midwest truly a “climate haven”?
(43:05) America’s health care scam;
(53.45) October garden Q & A, with Kathy Byrnes Fallon.
Though she’d like you to believe otherwise, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is the primary political force behind Summit’s Carbon Pipeline. Here are five smoking guns that leave no doubt about her essential culpability in this assault on rural Iowa and beyond:
1. KIM REYNOLDS’ SILENCE. Nearly 80% of Iowans oppose using eminent domain to build CO2 pipelines. The only time politicians don’t talk about an issue when public opinion is lopsided is when they’re on the wrong side. I attempted multiple online searches for variations on “Gov Kim Reynolds’ statements on Summit pipeline.” Nothing. She’s done a total dodge on the issue.
Let’s change that. See below for action item #1.
2. IOWA UTILITIES COMMISSION (IUC). In April, 2023, Reynolds shuffled the IUC’s membership. She replaced Geri Huser (a Democrat) with two new board members, Erik Helland and Sarah Martz, who’ve gone along with everything Summit has asked for.
Few people are fooled by Reynolds saying she simply appointed the best people for the job and that we should let the process work. Summit’s pipeline is perhaps the most impactful issue ever to come before the IUC. Beyond a doubt, these appointments are meant to assure the IUC’s support for the pipeline.
3. CAMPAIGN DONATIONS. Summit’s owner Bruce Rastetter, is an agribusiness tycoon and major Republican political donor. From 2018 to 2022, he lavished over $150,000 on Reynolds. He’s her top donor, in fact. It’s safe to presume that Rastetter supports Reynolds in other ways — through bundling and/or super PACs. We can’t be certain, due to America’s gutted campaign finance laws.
Rastetter also donates to key Senate Republicans:
— $37,500 over a three-year period to Sen. Majority Leader Jack Whitver, who decides which bills come up for a vote;
— $5,000 to Sen. Mike Bousselot, who used to work at Summit and who chaired the subcommittee charged with killing the eminent domain bill passed by the Iowa House 86 – 7;
— $26,000 to Attorney General Brenna Bird.
4. BRENNA BIRD. The AG’s role in approving pipelines was strengthened last year by one of Reynolds’ top legislative priorities: a bill restructuring much of state government and giving Bird control over the Office of Consumer Advocate.
That office used to be an independent voice representing the best interest of the public in utility cases that came before the IUC. No more. In fact, the most recent OCA director, Anna Ryon, quit because she said the OCA had become “more of an observer and less of an advocate.”
5. BRUCE RASTETTER. The final and most influential smoking gun is Bruce Rastetter himself. Beyond his huge fundraising prowess, Rastetter’s track record makes it clear he’s no friend of the family farmer or the environment. Let’s dig into that history a bit.
Over a decade ago, Rastetter planned to lease 800,000 acres in Tanzania to build a huge US-style corn and soybean operation. That area was inhabited by 150,000 Burundians who had fled to Tanzania in 1972 during Burundi’s civil war.
Using Iowa State University, Rastetter tried to snag $7 million in US tax subsidies to help secure the land. Given his dominant presence at ISU, Rastetter probably thought he had those seven big ones in the bag.
Rastetter has donated over $10 million to ISU. He also funds a faculty position, the Bruce Rastetter Chair in Agricultural Entrepreneurship, and was president of the Board of Regents (overseeing the three state universities) from 2013 – 2017.
Given all that political and financial might, it’s nothing short of remarkable that Rastetter’s Tanzania scheme to make 800,000 acres of Tanzania safe for corn and soybeans failed. The grassroots had risen up. Students. Faculty. Iowans opposed to corporate farming and supportive of human rights. A particularly powerful ally of the people was the Oakland Institute, an independent think tank, whose director, Anuradha Mittal, appeared on my talk show to discuss the struggle.
Oh, and then there’s Rastetter’s corporate ag presence in Brazil, summarized in this July 3, 2023, story in Mongabay: “The American agribusiness magnate Bruce Rastetter, who is already the biggest producer of corn-based ethanol in Brazil, has plans to triple processing at his plants by relying on the generosity of governments and banks with green credits and incentives destined to combat climate change.”
CAN REYNOLDS AND RASTETTER BE STOPPED? The duo represent a Goliathian alliance of political and financial might. But Rastetter was stopped in Tanzania. He can be stopped again — and Gov. Reynolds is the key.
The alliance of farmers, landowners, property-rights defenders, environmentalists, lawyers, and Republican lawmakers is deep and strong. Let me say a word about the latter, and then recommend two actions you can take.
REPUBLICAN INTERVENORS FOR JUSTICE is a group of nearly 40 Iowa Republican lawmakers who are speaking out and taking the IUC to court. “The Iowa Utilities Commission’s approval of this project is a gross overstep of authority, trampling on the rights of our landowners and putting the safety of Iowans at risk,” said State Rep. Charley Thomson. “This CO2 pipeline is not only unethical but unconstitutional, and we will not stand by while the safety of our citizens is jeopardized.”
That’s strong stuff. Other lawsuits have been filed as well. One notable absence: Democratic lawmakers. It’s incredible that Dems haven’t also taken a stand against Summit’s pipeline. I’ll leave it at that, since I’ve ranted repeatedly over the past couple years about the deafening silence of Iowa’s leading Democrats.
TWO ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:
(1) Question Reynolds constantly and everywhere she goes. Nail down where she really stands. Use your phone to video her response, or lack of a response. Send it to me. Send it to your local news outlets. Share it on social media. Reynolds needs to know that we know that the ball is in her court regarding this pipeline.
(2) We still have a chance to stop the Summit Carbon Pipeline in the courts. Reynolds has solidified her control over much of state government and weakened the courts, but she still doesn’t control them. If you’ve got some money, there are several lawsuits involving landowners who could use financial help to keep their cases moving forward.
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. — Ed Fallon
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