Katherine Stockdale LTE to Iowa Falls Paper

NO CORIDOR

I recently attended the Rob Sand Townhall in Iowa Falls and was able to ask him a question as to where he stands on eminent domain for C02 pipelines. Although our local paper reported on this, they left out part of his response.  I did record Sand’s answer on my phone to make sure what he actually said.

He did say he does not support eminent domain for carbon capture, but he went on to say he also supported a wider corridor. Let’s explain what a corridor is for a pipeline. When a company applies for a permit to the IUC they include a map of their proposed route along with a construction work space and also what is called a corridor. The corridor is the space outside the route of the pipeline that can be used if the landowner in the path of the pipeline says no, they can go around that landowner to another landowner within that corridor to try to get an easement. The company is the one who sets their corridor. They are then required to have a public meeting to inform each of the landowners on the proposed pipeline and those in the corridor about the project. On Summit’s original route the corridor was about 1500ft on each side, if I remember correctly. On the Phase 2 dockets (the one coming from Poet in Iowa Falls) they increased this to at least a mile on each side, so 2 miles total. If a pipeline company was having trouble getting easements and wanted to expand their corridor, they can petition the Iowa Utilities Commission and request a change in their corridor.

Legislation to widen the corridor by 5 miles on each side of the pipeline (total 10 miles) for the C02 pipeline was brought up in the 2025 legislature by Senator Bousselot (former employee of Summit Ag) during debate on HF639(the bill Governor Reynolds vetoed). Landowners fought this because those affected in the wider corridor would not be notified or be allowed to have a public hearing, and it would still allow the use of eminent domain. His amendment was defeated.

This year (2026) landowners came with a compromise bill that simply said “No eminent domain for carbon oxide (dioxide) pipelines.” It allowed a company to still build their pipeline, but they could not use eminent domain. Senate Majority Leader Mike Klemish would not bring it up even in a subcommittee, but instead resurrected Senator Bousselot’s corridor bill, but it still allowed eminent domain. Senator Kevin Alons then wrote another compromise bill which allowed the 5-mile corridor, but they could not use eminent domain. Senator Klemish insisted that 2/3 of the Senate Republicans had to agree on which bill to bring forward. Neither Senator could garner enough votes to bring their bill forward. I was told that we had enough Democrats and Republicans to pass our bill, but Senator Klemish insisted on the 2/3 Republicans. So, no bill got passed.

A proposed bigger corridor does not stop the use of eminent domain. The only way to have better negotiations like what Rob Sand talked about is to completely take away the use of eminent domain for C02 pipelines. We as Landowners are still wanting last year’s HF2104 bill that states No EMINENT DOMAIN FOR CARBON PIPELINES.

In 2 one on one conversations with Zach Lahn he told me that he will support our bill as it is written. I am still waiting for him to come out publicly to say he will support our bill and to make it one of his top priorities.

Make sure that whoever you vote for this November that you vote for a Governor that will put this bill at the top of his priority list to support our constitutional rights and PROTECT OURPRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.

Kathy Stockdale

Iowa Falls, Iowa