Somewhere along the way, in the endless debates over pipeline routes, regulations, and carbon capture, we’ve lost sight of the real issue. This isn’t about gas lines, water pipes, or electric transmission. It’s about something far more fundamental: property rights and the proper, constitutional use of eminent domain.
Iowans know what a public good is. We understand that electricity powers our homes, natural gas fuels our stoves and furnaces, and water keeps our families healthy. But we also know when something doesn’t serve the public. A pipeline that doesn’t connect to our homes, doesn’t serve our communities, and doesn’t benefit the broader public is not infrastructure — it’s intrusion. When government power is used to seize private land for private profit, that’s not progress. That’s abuse.
I didn’t come to Des Moines to forget my community. I came here to speak truth to power. And there is no truth more fundamental than this: the government exists to protect the rights of the people — not to sell them off. I will not bend until the Senate does its job and defends the people of Iowa.
The Iowa House must now stand with the Dauntless Dozen and insist on bringing House File 639 to the floor — with a clear amendment banning the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. Leadership cannot keep kicking this can down the road. Every day of delay is another day our Constitution is betrayed.
Iowans are a respectful people. We honor the law, and we respect those elected to lead. But that respect must go both ways. We expect our government not just to acknowledge our rights, but to actively defend them. If our leaders won’t take a stand, then it’s up to us. It’s time we raise our voices and remind them exactly whom they serve.
