Of Casinos and Carbon Pipelines
Given how quickly things have changed in the past couple of weeks at the Iowa legislature, what I am about to say may be outdated by the time I finish uttering the sentence. But it appears an effort to legislatively impose a new casino license moratorium has failed to become law. There was a similar moratorium law enacted six years ago, but it expired last year.
The moratorium blocked any discretion the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission would have on the issue. The legislature created the commission, and so it can grant—or withhold—whatever powers it wants from the commission.
Whether you agree with the concept of a moratorium, or limiting commission discretion, is not the point today. The fact is that’s what happened then, and almost happened again this week.
Compare that, though, with the tone taken when the topic is limiting carbon capture pipelines, with permits granted by the Iowa Utilities Commission, another entity established by the legislature. Whenever there was talk about legislation to block these pipelines, we were told that neither the legislature nor the governor could really intervene, since it was pending before the commission.
What’s different about limiting the powers of the racing and gaming commission, as opposed to limiting the powers of the utilities commission? Nothing in terms of law and procedure. All that was different was the topic.
We’re not hearing much so far about any legislation to protect Iowans from these hazardous pipelines, so the question I’d suggest you ask your lawmaker at one of their weekend coffees or town meetings is why there was such swift desire to block new casinos—thereby protecting powerful companies and their financial interests…and no desire to block pipelines. Maybe it’s because not blocking pipelines would protect powerful companies and their financial interests.
Oh, they say, it’s not about power and money. Which is code for, “it’s always about power and money”.
