Dear Friends,
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM AS ED AND KATHY DISCUSS:
(02:16) South Dakota deals fatal blow to CO2 pipeline;
(24:25) Trump’s new colonialism;
(38:52) Embracing banned words and classroom signs;
(52:11) Iowa school lunch bill demands scrutiny.
It’s no secret that I view Donald Trump as a dangerous, narcissistic authoritarian, even as I respect my friends and acquaintances who voted for him. My question for these friends is this: Has Trump delivered what you hoped for, or has he gone off the rails in directions you hadn’t anticipated?
Take eminent domain. Trump supports it. Strongly. Years ago, he said: “I happen to agree with it 100%. If you have a person living in an area that’s not even necessarily a good area, and … government wants to build a tremendous economic development, where a lot of people are going to be put to work and … create thousands upon thousands of jobs and beautification and lots of other things, I think it happens to be good.”
Trump’s eagerness to take people’s property by force might explain why he hasn’t cancelled the 45Q tax credits. Without that handout, Summit Carbon Solutions’ CO2 pipeline isn’t viable.
Trump has made it clear that he wants to repeal “Sleepy Joe Biden’s” legacy. He also continues to diss climate science. So why doesn’t he cancel the 45Q tax credits? They’re a big part of Biden’s legacy, and they’re proposed (falsely) as a climate solution. You’d think the tax credits would be an easy target for Trump.
Three reasons Trump won’t do it. (1) He’s a lifelong supporter of eminent domain for private purposes. (2) Summit’s CEO, Bruce Rastetter, signed on early as a Trump supporter. (3) The oil and gas industry is behind this pipeline build-out, since the CO2 will likely be used for enhanced oil recovery.
But thanks to recent action by South Dakota Republicans, Summit’s pipeline is in big trouble, even if Trump quietly supports it. South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden just signed a bill banning eminent domain for CO2 pipelines. In response, Summit put its application for a permit on hold.
This huge legislative victory was possible because 14 Republican lawmakers were defeated in last year’s primary and replaced by anti-eminent domain majorities in both chambers, including Joy Hohn, who’s been on my program.
In Iowa, there is now additional momentum against the pipeline. Yet with few exceptions, Iowa Democratic lawmakers remain silent or, at best, marginally engaged on the issue. (Thank you, Sen. Bisignano, a Des Moines Democrat, for your recent effort to force a vote in the Senate and for writing me that your position is “no eminent domain for private industry.”)
As I’ve said over the past three years, the Iowa Democratic Party as a whole is an abject embarrassment on this issue. More broadly, the Party is essentially irrelevant. Standing with landowners in opposition to Summit’s CO2 pipeline was a unique opportunity. But Dems squandered it.
Instead, 40 Iowa Republican lawmakers stepped forward to champion the landowners’ cause. That took a bit of courage, since Governor Reynolds supports the pipeline and Bruce Rastetter is a major Republican donor.
So, my question for my Trump-voter friends who care about private property rights: Do you still support him?
But I get it. Where do you turn? The Democratic Party has little to offer. Perhaps the best course of action for a Trump voter who opposes the use of eminent domain to build a pipeline is to do what South Dakota pipeline opponents did — find primary opponents for Republicans who’ve blocked legislation, especially in the Iowa Senate.
Better yet, throw Kim Reynolds out of office in 2026. She’s not your friend. Sure, she’ll certainly have a Democratic opponent, probably Rob Sand. And she’ll have at least one Republican opponent, Brad Sherman, whose website sports this almost poetic statement on eminent domain:
“Brad is staunchly opposed to the use of Eminent Domain for private gain. … Eminent Domain is a dangerous creature which must be confined under constant guard behind high walls with iron gates. When it is allowed outside those walls, it must be restrained by heavy chains of specific purpose and then immediately returned to its confinement.”
So, I guess … build the wall? And make Bruce Rastetter pay for it?
Whatever issues drive Iowa voters to the polls in 2026, eminent domain will certainly be high on the list. In the meantime, continue to speak out against Summit’s CO2 pipeline. Sure, we have momentum, but it’s not quite dead yet.
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. — Ed Fallon
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