To the Members of the Iowa Utilities Commission:

There is a crisis unfolding in the country’s heartland, and the latest poling confirms what every farmer in Iowa already knows; their property rights are being threatened by a private company who wants to use the government to steal farmer’s land for their own profit.

Despite thousands of objections filed with the IUC, thousands of angry letters and emails to elected officials and thousands of Iowans showing up for protests, this dangerous threat has been allowed to hang over our heads for over four years. And yet again, the people who will be harmed the most are told to “wait and see” while regulators and legislators debate our Constitutional “right” to our own property. Year after year, American farmers have voiced their opposition to CO2 pipelines. They know it will only be a massive transfer of wealth from them (the taxpayer) to a private company and a massive transfer of liability from that private company to American farmers.

This isn’t just about carbon capture. It’s about our Constitutional rights. It’s about a toxic CO2 rupture threatening our lives. It’s about destroying productive farm land. It’s about land owners being forced to accept almost unlimited liability. It’s about a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. It’s about rural communities facing death from a CO2 pipeline rupture.

Proponents of toxic CO2 pipelines can afford to play political games. Our farmers can’t. Summit is asking for a tax credit handout from the tax payer. They’re using every dirty trick they can to slip this boondoggle past our “elected” officials.

We are at a tipping point. If Iowa fails to uphold our Constitutional property rights, we will become much more like other states and countries like Brazil, China and others that abuse property rights at will. That means all of our other “rights” are sure to be compromised and may never come back.

This project means a clear violation of our Constitutional property rights. It means destroying productive farmland. It means rural communities will be under constant threat from toxic CO2 pipeline leaks. It means our taxes will continue to go up to pay for the tax credits Summit is after. It means private companies can abuse imminent domain and steal our property at will.

The Iowa Utility Commission has a clear choice; support our Constitutional property rights or allow a private company to steal our land, endanger our lives, destroy productive farm land and drive us further into debt.

I urge you to do what’s RIGHT for Iowa land owners, for our Constitution, for rural communities and for the future of our state.