Pipelines and Politics
I think back to last September, and our first “Candidate Cattle Call” event at the National Cattle Congress…we had incumbent lawmakers and candidates alike, for the Iowa house and senate, both Republicans and Democrats.
As you might imagine, they agreed on very little…but the one thing they all agreed on, regardless of the legislative chamber or political party—to a person, they said they heard loud complaints from voters about proposed carbon pipelines, and virtually all themselves said they were against them.
Don’t look now, but that may not be enough to stop regulation efforts in the legislature.
A bill that would limit these, especially the eminent domain provisions of land acquisition, was introduced last week by a Republican House member…and then it all hit the fan, with those who want to see pipelines calling in every favor they had outstanding to block the bill from moving forward.
Some who want to see the pipelines move along are among the most influential in Iowa politics…in terms of both personal and financial clout. They’re the ones, simply speaking, who get their calls returned. And I’m told they’ve been working the phones pretty aggressively.
And now those supporting the ethanol industry say such pipelines are vital for the industry’s survival…and given how much Iowa-grown corn goes to biofuels, that’s no small matter.
What’s a mere voter to do? Find out how your representative and senator feel about the topic. Learn more about the benefits and potential danger. Learn more about how eminent domain is used generally, and why some don’t think it applies in this case.
Do that, formulate your opinion, and then let the people you vote for know how you feel. Again, I’m not taking a side…I’m simply saying the train is moving down the track, and if you care about the issue…now is the time to show it.
