Des Moines, IA (Northwestiowanow.com) — In a situation of great interest here in Northwest Iowa, several Republican lawmakers have introduced six separate bills strengthening property owner’s rights against eminent domain for a carbon capture pipeline.

The Iowa Utilities commission says the pipeline can proceed – if it gets approval in South Dakota.  State Representative Charley Thomson from Charles City says eminent domain is only intended for the public good, not to help private business interests.

House speaker Pat Grassley from New Hartford says each of the six proposals will get a subcommittee hearing, and then likely be combined into one or two bills.

The main trunks of the Summit Carbon Pipeline as proposed would go through Palo Alto, Clay, O’Brien, and Buena Vista Counties; with a spur running to Dickinson County where effluent from the Green Plains ethanol plant in Superior would be captured and transported to South Dakota where it would be stored underground.

The process would pay the pipeline owners government subsidies and improve the scoring for the renewable fuels produced at the various facilities.