On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh (R-Winneshiek) introduced legislation claiming to protect the rights of landowners, drawing ire from landowners threatened by eminent domain. Landowners claim legislation introduced in the Iowa House last week (HF 2104) provides the legitimate solution to concerns regarding the abuse of eminent domain.
“We’ve heard what’s in Sen. Klimesh’s bill and it’s not what landowners have spent five years asking for. Nor is it what Governor Reynolds asked for after vetoing our last piece of legislation. We’ve delivered a clean bill, HF 2104, that protects the property rights of Iowans while still allowing the development of carbon pipelines,” said Mike Henning, targeted landowner in Greene County.
“Carbon pipelines are not a utility, they provide no public benefit, public use or public convenience and therefore should not be eligible for the use of eminent domain. HF 2104 does what Sen. Klimesh’s bill does not – protects property rights and puts family farms and the free market first,” said Bonnie Ewoldt, targeted landowner in Crawford County.
“The bottom line is that our bill, HF2104, protects property rights and Senator Klimesh’s does not. Iowans deserve the right to say yes or no,” said Jess Mazour, Sierra Club Conservation Program Associate.
“We should not allow the heavy hand of big government to pick winners and losers with threats of eminent domain. In Iowa, we believe in free and fair markets, not in gaming the system by taking from landowners, farmers, and small business owners. We do not need the government telling us what is best for our farms and our futures like Sen. Klimesh’s bill allows. If the project being sold is truly a net benefit, it can succeed on its own merit with voluntary support, not a strong-armed undermining of our property rights,” said Emma Schmit, Bold Alliance’s Pipeline Fighters Director.
