Tag Archives: CO2 pipelines

A new angle on stopping eminent domain abuse

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This year, advocates are pursuing a different approach. HF 2522 (formerly HSB 608) would allow 21 state representatives or 11 senators to stop the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) from moving forward with a request to use eminent domain for a private corporation.

The IUB could resume its deliberation only after legislators conduct an independent inquiry into the proposal and 60% of House and Senate members concur that using eminent domain is appropriate.

I would go further. Since 78% of Iowans polled feel eminent domain should not be used to build CO2 pipelines, set the legislative threshold at that level. Still, 60% is a high and reasonable bar. This week, the House Judiciary Committee voted 19 – 1 to advance the bill to the House.
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Eminent domain could hurt Trump in Iowa

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There’s no doubt Donald Trump will win the Iowa Caucuses. With Ron DeSantis in free fall, I’ll go out on a short limb and predict Nikki Haley finishes second.

It could be a strong second if Haley capitalizes on Trump’s support for eminent domain.

Here’s what Trump said a few years back: “Eminent domain is something that has to be used, usually you would say for anything that’s long, like a road, like a pipeline, or like a wall, or a fence.” (Washington Post)

Here’s Trump’s more recent, completely nonsensical response to an Iowa voter concerned about the threat of eminent domain to build CO2 pipelines: “Well you know we’re working on that, and you know we had a plan to totally … uh … it’s such a ridiculous situation, isn’t it. But we had a plan and we would have instituted that plan, and it was all ready. But if we win, that’s going to be taken care of. That will be one of the easy things we do.” (Forbes Breaking News, July 7, 2023, 2-minute mark)

Huh?? If Haley doesn’t jump all over that and Trump’s previous pro-eminent domain comments she’s missing a huge opportunity. Continue Reading →

Special session: Iowa lawmakers should protect landowners from CO2 pipelines

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The Iowa Legislature meets in special session today to consider a bill to severely restrict abortion. Nothing prevents them from also addressing other concerns, for example, eminent domain to build CO2 pipelines.

Talk about unfinished business! Earlier this year, a bipartisan majority in the Iowa House voted to toughen eminent domain law. Yet when the bill (HF565) landed in the Senate, Governor Reynolds and Senate Republican leadership killed it. (I discuss this in detail starting at the 6-minute mark of this week’s program.)

Given that nearly 80 percent of Iowans oppose using eminent domain to build CO2 pipelines, the Legislature should use this special session to address the problem. Continue Reading →

Solutions to Iowa’s “red-state” problem

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I first met Dennis Kucinich in 2003 when he ran for president. Unlike most politicians, when Dennis took a position on an issue, you knew exactly where he stood. There was no equivocation, no weighing of political nuances, no corporate donors to appease. Refreshing and, alas, rare.

I hope you’ll listen to my discussion with Dennis, which covers the sorry state of the Democratic Party, the Biden administration’s misguided foreign policy, and how “free” trade treaties have eroded the economic foundation of our country.

Here’s a quote from my interview with Dennis: “The Democratic Party used to stand for the small farmers trying to resist monopolies. Now you have agribusinesses that don’t give a damn about the soil, and we see taxpayers’ money helping facilitate the destruction of millions of acres of farmland to create shopping malls for the purpose of marketing goods from China.”
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My St. Pat’s Day reflection on fairies and fracking

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Stopping the abuse of eminent domain has become the defining issue in Iowa this year. A recent Des Moines Register poll found 78% of Iowans across the political spectrum oppose using eminent domain to build CO2 pipelines. That’s an astounding preponderance of opinion on one side of a very important issue.

Seventy-eight percent oughta be way more than enough to compel politicians to take action. To quote Senator Zaun from our conversation, “If Republicans don’t protect property rights, they’ll be on the road to being in the minority.”

Zaun believes the House and Senate will pass eminent domain legislation this year. That’s encouraging. Still, it’s remarkable that Senate Republicans were unable to push an eminent domain bill through committee before last week’s “funnel.” At least a promising bill is alive in the House, though it may take every ounce of public pressure and political courage to pass it.

I believe Zaun is correct when he says that if Republicans don’t rein in the abuse of eminent domain, they’ll probably lose seats in 2024. Continue Reading →

Canceling Gandhi

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This week marks the 75th anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, who in recent years has joined the legions of leaders lesser minds love to cancel. 

Yes, move over George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln. Make room for the Indian who toppled the British Empire. Make sure you ignore the big picture and only focus on what you consider his shortcomings.

To be clear, there are politicians and celebrities who do dumb, hurtful, or even illegal things. They absolutely need to be called-out and held accountable.

But cancelling the dead because they don’t stand up to modern standards? Continue Reading →

A Christmas story: Why you should clean up after your dog

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On Christmas Eve Day, Kathy and I took a beautiful woodland walk. Well, beautiful until I stepped in dog crap, partially concealed under some fallen leaves.

Arriving back at our car in a huff, I spent 15 frustrated minutes trying to dig the product out of my shoes, with minimal success. When I got into the car, Kathy cringed at the smell that accompanied me, and we drove off with windows wide open.

To make a long story short (hear the full version at the 2:26-minute mark), a mile down the road, I realized I’d lost my wallet and phone, presumably on the wall where I’d attempted to clean my shoes. Continue Reading →

Kansas pipeline rupture raises concerns about DAPL, CO2 pipelines

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Last week, we witnessed another pipeline rupture. An estimated 770,000 gallons of tar-sands oil spilled out of the Keystone Pipeline into a Kansas creek. [Note: This is a different pipeline than the Keystone XL pipeline that President Biden shut down last year.] It’s the largest rupture in that company’s history, and the largest onshore crude oil pipeline spill since 2013.

The Kansas spill did not go unnoticed by Iowans fighting three CO2 pipelines targeting nearly 2,000 miles (yes, miles!) of Iowa farms, forests, and wetlands. Continue Reading →

Rob Sand bucks trend in Iowa election

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Congratulations to Iowa Auditor Rob Sand! After recounts in Warren and Des Moines counties today, Rob was declared the winner. (Congrats also to Rob for bagging a nine-point buck today.)

Rob’s victory is one of the few bright spots for Iowa Democrats this week. Incumbents Cindy Axne, Tom Miller, and Mike Fitzgerald all lost. Challengers to Governor Reynolds and Senator Grassley got their clocks cleaned. Democrats lost seats in both the Iowa House and Senate.

Iowa is now redder than Mississippi and Alabama. In fact, among states with four or more congressional districts, Iowa is tied for first in redness with Utah, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Let that sink in: IOWA IS REDDER THAN ALABAMA! Continue Reading →