BLEEDING HEARTLAND: Pat Grassley is feeling the heat on carbon pipelines

Originally posted on Nov. 3

Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley wrote to the Iowa Utilities Board this week to object to a waiver request from one of the companies seeking to build a carbon dioxide pipeline in Iowa.

The unusual move reflects strong opposition to the projects in rural Iowa.

The top Iowa House Republican has represented Butler County in the legislature since 2007, and his new district covers all of Butler and part of Bremer County. Navigator Heartland Greenway’s proposed route would run through both counties, and the Butler and Bremer county boards of supervisors are among dozens of local government bodies that have submitted formal objections to the plan.

Grassley’s October 31 letter to the three Iowa Utilities Board members noted, “In my sixteen years in the Iowa House, I have never heard more concerns from constituents related to a single issue than the CO2 pipeline project currently proposed for our area.”

Many farmers oppose the plans because research has linked other underground pipelines to soil degradation and reduced crop yields. Constituents opposing the pipeline packed Grassley’s legislative forums earlier in the year, and by some accounts refused to sign his nominating petitions.

Read more at Bleeding Heartland