eminent domain

Iowa GOP Lawmakers Push to Block Eminent Domain for Wind Farms

nwwelle Energy, solar power, Uncategorized , ,

Via Flickr

Nicole Welle | August 3, 2020

Three GOP members of a legislative rules review committee are looking to block the Iowa Utilities Board’s move to allow developers to condemn property for wind and solar farms.

Sens. Waylon Brown, Zach Whiting and Mark Costello announced their opposition Friday. They believe that the rules giving the Iowa Utilities Board jurisdiction over the siting of renewable energy facilities and the state the ability to overrule local zoning to allow developers to condemn private property for approved projects are administrative overreach, according to an Iowa Capital Dispatch article.

Some wind companies raised concerns over changing policy that has enabled an economic surge in the past. They also worry that some projects already underway could be stalled. Midamerican Energy, however, testified that the rule should include eminent domain if the state is going to govern siting.

The controversial rule has split environmentalists. Some believe it will help to push renewable energy development forward, but others worry that it could increase development time and cost. If the committee approves a session delay, the Iowa legislature will have the chance to consider the rule before it takes effect.

On The Radio – Bakken pipeline looms after Keystone XL

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North Dakota's Bakken oil field. (A.G. McQuillian/Flickr)
Pump jacks pull oil from the ground in North Dakota’s Bakken oil field. (A.G. McQuillan/Flickr)

November 23, 2015

This week’s On The Radio segment looks at the pending Bakken oil pipeline project which would stretch from the Bakken oil fields in western North Dakota to oil refineries in southern Illinois. If approved, the project would run through 18 Iowa counties. 

Transcript: Bakken pipeline looms after Keystone XL

President Obama’s historic decision to strike down the Keystone XL pipeline could be undermined by another proposed pipeline running through Iowa.

This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.

A proposed pipeline starting in North Dakota’s Bakken crude oil fields and running through 18 Iowa counties is getting closer to state approval, with Governor Terry Branstad signaling his approval for the use of eminent domain for pipeline projects in November. Activists and landowners have been at odds with Texas-based Dakota Access, the company proposing the pipeline, for months as they try to establish eminent domain for the pipeline on private land. Most of the pipe would be underground, causing major concerns for soil and water quality as topsoil is removed and compacted during installation.

Unlike Keystone XL, the Bakken pipeline doesn’t need executive approval from President Obama because it doesn’t cross an international border. Instead, the pipeline would need approval from the Iowa Utilities Board, which began public hearings on November 12 with a decision coming in December or January. A Des Moines Register poll found 74 percent of Iowans oppose the use of eminent domain for pipelines.

For more information about the Bakken pipeline, visit IowaEnvironmentalFocus.org.

From the UI Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research, I’m Betsy Stone.

Click to access DAPL_IUB_InformationalMeetingPresentation-FINAL11-18-14.pdf

Poll: Iowans support oil pipeline and wind project but reject using eminent domain for them

Nick Fetty Energy, News , , , ,

Turbines from a wind farm in northwest Iowa. (Jim Hammer/Flickr)
Turbines from a wind farm in northwest Iowa. (Jim Hammer/Flickr)

Nick Fetty | March 5, 2015

A Des Moines Register poll conducted last month has found that the majority of Iowans support a proposed oil pipeline and wind electricity transmission line which would pass through the state but oppose using eminent domain to accomplish the projects.

The poll shows that 57 percent of those surveyed were in favor of the proposed Bakken oil pipeline which would cross through 17 counties diagonally across the state. Thirty-two percent opposed the project while 11 percent were not sure. The pipeline would transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois. Critics of the project cite that it is an unwise investment at a time when the nation should be divesting from its reliance on fossil fuels while proponents say that it is safer than current transport methods such as by rail.

Sixty-four percent those surveyed supported the Rock Island Clean Line which would cover approximately 375 miles in Iowa transporting electricity generated by wind turbines to Illinois. Twenty-four percent were against it and 12 percent were not sure. The $2 billion project aims to build 200 wind turbines in the Hawkeye State. Proponents say that it offers more benefits than the Bakken project while opponents question the use of eminent domain to make it happen.

The poll also found that 74 percent of survey respondents opposed the use of eminent domain for either project, while 19 percent favored it and 7 percent were unsure. Officials with both projects are asking the Iowa Utility Board for permission to use eminent domain to carry out the proposals. Both projects would cover large parts of rural Iowa and farmers have been divided on the use of eminent domain.