Carbon Pipeline Scam Continues

Deck Stacked Against Landowners, Iowa Constituents Not Represented
By Robert Nazario and FreeSoil Board
12 Sept 2024

While Iowans have overwhelmingly rejected the proposed hazardous carbon pipeline and numerous counties filed Motions to Reconsider the pipeline, state officials continue to side with Big Ag, globalists and Summit Carbon Solutions (Summit).

Motions to Reconsider Filed & Largely Ignored by IUC

Representative Charley Thomson filed a Motion to Reconsider that was signed by many Iowa legislators (RLIJ¹), yet the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC, previously called the Iowa Utilities Board) brushed aside his motion and did not fully address the Constitutional issues, including that of protecting the rights and liberties of Iowans.

Motions to Reconsider were also filed by “the Counties”(a group including Boards of Supervisors from 7 of the 29 counties on the route), Hardin County (mainly a joinder), DAPEMA (mainly a joinder), Jorde Landowners, Sierra Club, RLIJ, Gordon Garrison and Bold Iowa.

South Dakota Rules Summit Can’t Use Eminent Domain

In a significant win for landowners, the Supreme Court of the State of South Dakota ruled on 8/21/24 that Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipelines do not meet the rules for common carrier and can NOT use eminent domain. So why did the IUC allow Summit to use eminent domain?

In addition, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has not completed its Final Rules on the proposed pipeline, but announced it is taking steps to implement new measures to strengthen its safety oversight of carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines around the country and protect communities from dangerous pipeline failures after a CO2 pipeline failure in Satartia, MS.

With the South Dakota ruling and no Final Rules from PHMSA, why is Summit, its affiliates and the Iowa Utilities Commission ramming ahead with Phase 2 expansion and holding pre-mature informational meetings in affected counties?

Too Many Unanswered Questions Surround this Multi-Billion $$ Boondoggle

There are far too many unanswered questions as well as suspicious activities surrounding the proposed $8.1 billion, 2,000+ miles of hazardous, carbon-capture pipeline pushed by Summit. It’s a cleverly disguised government-funded scam that will “steal” billions of taxpayer dollars to enrich the globalists and Summit while destroying our land, property rights and threatening public safety. Remember, there is no “climate crisis.” Carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant; it is plant food and essential to all life on Earth.

How did Summit know about the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act in advance? Because of this, they were one of the first companies at the federal trough to capitalize on the climate change propaganda and billions of federal funds (taxpayer dollars) available in the Inflation Reduction Act signed by Biden in August 2022 to build private pipelines for corporate profit at public expense.

Summit is owned by Bruce Rastetter, one of Iowa’s largest GOP donors and one of governor Kim Reynolds’ biggest benefactors. And don’t forget about former Iowa governor and ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, who is the senior policy advisor for Rastetter as well as former Iowa governor and current USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack’s lawyer son, Jess, who is the general counsel for Summit.

IUC Ignored Legitimate Concerns of Constituents

Despite the public outcry and pushback, the IUC ignored the legitimate concerns of impacted landowners, Iowans and legislators and lamely defended their decision in favor of Summit with this statement, “…claiming the Commission decided wrongly is not a proper basis for reconsideration.” Well, the IUC did decide wrongly and needs to be held accountable.

In fact, the IUC itself should be heavily scrutinized and investigated. Could it be that the IUC decision was improperly influenced by the actions of private companies like Summit and/or elected officials with ill intent several years prior to its ruling?

When did elected officials and the Iowa Utilities Commission first begin to talk with private companies involved with the pipeline companies planning to force the unnecessary and unwanted hazardous liquid CO2 pipeline through Iowa with or without voluntary easements?

Why did the IUC replace two board members during the permitting process? And how did these 2 new board members get up to speed and also read the largest docket in the history of the Iowa Utilities Board in an unrealistic short timeframe?

Why did the IUC ignore the many urgent requests to prohibit the use of eminent domain, alter the pipeline route, place a moratorium on the project and delay the project until Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued its final rules? How could the IUC legitimately issue its final ruling when the concerns of Iowa landowners, legislators and constituents were not addressed?

The Task Force Omitted the Most Critical Groups: Those Impacted by the Pipeline

Let’s take a look at governor Kim Reynolds’ Carbon Sequestration Task Force that was comprised of various interest groups except those impacted the most by the disastrous pipeline proposal. The Task Force consisted of two workgroups, Agriculture and Energy, (why is a Navigator CO2 executive allowed on this Task Force?), and an Ex Officio Workgroupwhose members included Representative Kenan Judge, Senator Kevin Kinney, Senator Annette Sweeney and Representative John Wills. (Why is Senator Sweeney’s husband a proponent of the carbon pipeline?)

Omitted from the Task Force were the most critical groups: the impacted landowners/farmers/stewards and key representatives of the counties and local communities in the path of the proposed hazardous pipeline. Does this sound like a Task Force that represents the interests of impacted constituents?

Iowa Senate Blocked House Legislation that Would Have Helped Landowners

Why did leaders in the Iowa Senate and some members of the Iowa Senate Commerce Committee, and Ways and Means Committee (Sweeney was & still is on Way and Means) block several Iowa House bills, including HF565, from moving forward? The House-approved legislation would have given landowners more leverage over pipeline negotiations and the ability to challenge eminent domain requests by carbon dioxide pipeline companies.

Did Rastetter buy influence with state legislators with his more than generous legal contributions to elected officials? And also his contributions on Open Secrets.

Were Landowners Fully Informed of the Pipeline’s Hazards?

Was the deck stacked against landowners to begin with? Quite possibly given that many more questions remain unanswered including:

• Were Summit land agents threatening affected landowners with the use of eminent domain during the negotiation process or in communications?
• Were “voluntary” easements signed by landowners achieved with full informed consent?
  • Were the hazards associated with the supercritical CO2 fluid to be shipped via these pipelines through the landowner’s property fully disclosed and discussed along with the operating pressures and associated dangers as required to achieve full consent and transparent disclosure?
  • Were Materials Safety Data Sheets shared with the landowners that signed the voluntary easements? If not, how can these negotiations be considered complete and transparent without full disclosure of the hazards?  
• Was the plume dispersion model shared with each landowner and those with adjacent parcels to warn neighbors of the hazards of these pipelines?
• Did Summit try to gain support for these hazardous liquid CO2 pipelines by emailing or meeting with counties/communities/school boards/fire, emergency districts and/or directors of emergency response, etc. by enticing them with the potential windfall of county tax dollars to help their communities while violating the constitutional rights of property owners who are against voluntary easements? Is Summit pitting neighbor against neighbor?

Pipeline Is Massive Wealth Transfer Scam from Taxpayers

via the Government to Globalists & Summit Carbon Solutions

This carbon-capture pipeline is driven by greed and a web of players with connections to China and the globalists. Summit is funded by China’s Belt and Road initiative, and you — thanks to the globalists’ Green New Deal provisions slipped in the Inflation Reduction Act to pipe “carbon” to North Dakota and bury it. (It’s a government-funded scam!)

The Inflation Reduction Act has nothing to do with inflation but everything to do with the Green New Deal scam, e.g., the carbon intensity score and the federal tax credits 45q and 45z for companies involved in carbon sequestration and storage. It imposes strict guidelines on our carbon footprint and that of farm operations and businesses. We will be forced to buy carbon credits from companies like Summit Carbon Solutions.

Stop the Scam

Click here for more resources on how to stop the carbon-capture pipeline scam. Bookmark this website, https://freesoilfoundation.com/, to stay abreast of the latest developments and what you can do to defend your private property rights and limit government overreach. In addition, here are several whistleblower sites: https://oig.justice.gov/hotline/whistleblower-protection

and https://okeefemediagroup.com.

Plan to attend upcoming informational meetings and make your concerns known.

——-

1) The RLIJ is an unincorporated associations of 37 members of the Iowa General Assembly.