Friday, March 6, 2015 – Libertyville, Iowa
{For the latest Iowa Pipeline Walk route and schedule detail, click here.}

The lure of money is powerful. How many people work at a job they despise simply for the paycheck and/or health insurance benefits?

As I meet landowners in southeast Iowa, I am reminded of this reality. Not many of them actually like the pipeline. But that combination of a cash payout and the resignation that you can’t fight Big Government and Big Oil grudgingly incline many landowners to allow the easement.

Still, I am meeting many landowners who are standing firm and willing to throw a wrench into billionaire Kelcy Warren’s pipeline plan. But it is clear that stopping the pipeline is going to take a broad coalition of Iowans concerned about property rights, water quality and climate change.

Susan Chapin

It’s encouraging to see the statewide efforts of the Bakken Pipeline Resistance group gaining members and momentum. And in southeast Iowa, the affiliated No Bakken Here group has a solid core of dedicated and hard working Jefferson County residents, who were instrumental in organizing a meeting in Fairfield last night, where I spoke to about 50 people.

Patrick Bosold

With any luck, today will have the last day of walking in such frigid temperatures. It warmed up in the afternoon, but the prospect of the mercury climbing into the 50s and 60s makes me happy. Today, I was delighted to have Susan Chapin and Patrick Bosold join me for stretches of the walk. Susan had contacted the Ottumwa TV station, and a reporter met us out on the road for an interview. Check out the story here. And I  am grateful to Bob and Vicky Krause for putting me up for the night.

So many good, passionate people! You give me hope that our efforts will prevail. Thank you.