Last week, Republican candidate for Iowa Senate District 27 Rocky Damiano issued a statement regarding opponent Sen. Annette Sweeney’s recent newsletter comments. Damiano and Sweeney are both running for the 27th District senator seat and will be on

the June 2 Republican primary ballot.

Damiano’s statement reads: “Like many residents of Senate District 27, I am shocked and surprised at Annette Sweeney’s recent newsletter, stating that she has a strong record of unwavering support for property rights. This would be news to those who have been fighting to not be subjected to eminent domain on their farm for a project that likely will not help corn prices, and that is a totally private company built largely on tax subsidies. These people have been begging for help from the legislature for five years now, and it has been closed doors and crickets from some members of the Iowa Senate, including Annette.”

Damiano continues with, “She also quotes Communist thinker John Kenneth Galbraith in saying that this ‘small and fiercely resistant minority may be force-fed prosperity,’ but we know it’s not a minority. Roughly 80 percent of Iowans oppose eminent domain for this project, and it’s a shame so many incumbents have sided against their constituents in this discussion. When I joined the United States Marine Corps, I raised my right hand and swore to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. When I hear language like this used, it upsets me because it means our elected officials, who have taken that same oath, have turned their back on the Constitution entirely. When

I am in the Iowa Senate, I will cling to the Constitution and be responsive and accessible to my constituents.”

Sweeney was reached for comment on Wednesday and stated that she did not quote John Kenneth Galbraith. “I put this together because I have looked, over the years, of things that people have not been positive with that have ended up for us, a very positive move for prosperity in the state of Iowa,” Sweeney said. “That’s where that comment came from. I probably could have chosen my words differently. But you can tell how passionate I am about keeping Iowa forefront, especially with our agriculture because 30 percent of our economy comes from agriculture.”

Sweeney said that Iowans should have a vision, move things forward and not close their minds to Iowa’s agriculture economy.

“And the comment about eminent domain,” she continued. “It should be used sparingly. I believe in property rights. I have property. It’s not it’s falling on deaf ears.”

She said utilizing a carbon capture pipeline could increase corn prices from $1 to $1.80 per bushel. “We need that right now.”

Last spring, Sweeney said she voted for an amendment that would be able to widen the pipeline corridor so that landowners who want the pipeline can shift it to run through their property. She said that 300 of the 600 pipeline investors are from Iowa. “We want this project, and if we can widen the corridor without having to use eminent domain, that’s positive.”

Sweeney said she is excited about the prospect of widening the corridor as 42 ethanol plants have signed up for this project. “We either agree or disagree… we need to know where our markets are.”

She also said she was “disappointed in the name-calling and that type of behavior. We need to focus on what we can do positive for our state.”

An Iowa Capital Dispatch story by Cami Koons on Thursday states, “House lawmakers voted 64-28 Wednesday to approve a bill that would block companies from using eminent domain to build carbon sequestration pipelines in Iowa.

“The bill now goes to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh has introduced his own bill aimed at addressing the eminent domain issue.

“The House passed a similar bill last year, along with a more complex bill aimed at protecting property rights, limiting carbon sequestration pipelines and addressing issues with the Iowa Utilities Commission. Only the second bill was taken up, and ultimately passed, by the Senate before Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed it.

“This year’s bill, House File 2104, was expedited by House Republicans who have been open in their opposition to the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, which was granted a permit and the right to eminent domain by the Iowa Utilities Commission in 2024.

Continue reading:
https://www.timescitizen.com/news/damiano-targets-sweeney-newsletter/article_ed0e7011-8601-4950-90cd-ae65b09b5b94.html