When I first ran for office back in 2014, I remember an admonition I was given on the front porch of a voter who pledged to support me but issued this warning: “Don’t become one of them.“ I processed that statement for days and came to the conclusion that becoming “one of them” meant compromising my principles for political expediency; rationalizing the violation of my principles because a certain vote might mean favor with the politically powerful or the donor class.
Since assuming office I frequently do a gut check and ask myself if I am “becoming one of them.“ I also ask myself that question when there’s a difficult issue that is dividing the Republican Party, and the easy approach would be to acquiesce to powerful voices and make it go away. Such is the case in the struggle against eminent domain for the CO2 pipeline. To respect my oath to the Constitution and my service to voters, I must be unequivocal on where I stand and the implications of inaction.
For the last five years property owners in the path of the CO2 pipeline have fought for their fundamental constitutional right to do with their property as they see fit. I have seen them struggle against powerful interests with massive amounts of money and I have seen the Iowa Utilities Commission, created to be a fair arbiter in proceedings such as this, violate ethical standards and fairness in favor of corporate interests.
I love the Republican Party and our platform because I believe both aspire to uphold the founding principles that define what it means to be an American. However, my ultimate allegiance is to the Constitution of the United States and the state of Iowa. I do not work for party leadership; I work for the citizens of Iowa. As such, I will continue to point out that when it comes to eminent domain, we have failed to take the necessary action to uphold the fundamental property rights of those staring down the barrel of a pipeline they did not ask for and do not want.
House Republicans have been uncompromising in our efforts to fight for landowner rights. Speaker Pat Grassley, Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann, Representatives Charley Thomson, Helena Hayes, Cindy Golding and myself have helped lead the fight in the House, and in week two of this legislative session, with unprecedented speed, we passed simple language that prohibits the unconstitutional use of eminent domain from being used for the CO2 pipeline. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans continue to refuse to take action in support of our party platform and Constitution that unambiguously require public use as the defining component for any taking using the power of eminent domain.
I will fight against any effort that allows even one landowner to be forced to take the pipeline on their property through the heavy handed use of eminent domain. I once again call upon Senate Republicans to take guidance from the Iowa Constitution and our party platform. They must shut out the noise and the threats of lawsuits and stand up for those principles upon which we took an oath to protect and defend.
I applaud the efforts of Senator Kevin Alons, Sandy Salmon and other dauntless freedom fighters in the Senate for continuing to look for ways to get prohibitions against the use of eminent domain for the CO2 pipeline to the Senate floor for a vote. They are patriots and define the true meaning of public service.
The issue of eminent domain for the CO2 pipeline is not going away. It has profound implications in the November elections as well it should. After years of effort by landowners, House Republicans and a brave group of Senators to stop this constitutional violation, juxtaposed against the failure of Senate leadership to act and the Governor’s veto of protections last year, this issue may well be front and center in the minds of many voters. It should be, because it gives voters a stark visual on who has and has not become “one of them.”
Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain. Of those liberties Americans and Iowans so profoundly value, is that of private property, for which George Washington stated was essential to the maintenance of freedom. Senate Republicans must act on what has become an issue that will define who does and who does not stand up for the rights of our citizens when it matters most.
