To the Editor:
The Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) hasn’t issued any permits for Summit Carbon Solutions for Phase 2. Iowa law states that once the information meeting is held, they can send out survey letters and land agents. Those along the path will be contacted with a “Restricted Certified Letter.” PLEASE, do not sign for this letter. Iowa law states that signing for this letter will give Summit the permission to survey even if you don’t grant permission. Summit is arguing that refusing the letter does the same. (This is going to court.) Tell your carrier you want time to think about it. The carrier might make a second attempt to deliver. After 15 days, the letter will be returned “unclaimed” instead of “refused”.
Carbon capture pipeline ruptures can be deadly. The kill zone is 1500 meters. This means, should a rupture occur, any living thing in that zone dies. Do you want your family, neighbors, or community anywhere close to a CO2 pipeline? Research the 2020 incident in the town of Satartia, Mississippi. The town was about a mile from the rupture and still resulted in 45 hospitalized and 200 people being evacuated. At the informational meeting, we were told that CO2 is safer than natural gas or anhydrous ammonia. Tell that to the hogs and chickens at processing plants.
Please, everyone, do your research and push back to our Governor, Attorney General (who should be following constitutional law), and our representatives. The lives of our families, our neighbors, our communities are precious and at risk. Not only will the communities near the pipeline be affected should a rupture occur near them, Eminent Domain for Private Gain is WRONG!
LANDOWNERS, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN AN EASEMENT. There is no rush to do so. Summit has not secured permits for a disposal site. Plus, North Dakota and South Dakota are in legal disputes. South Dakota’s Supreme Court ruled that Summit is not a common carrier and CO2 is not a commodity.
AGAIN, DON’T SIGN THE EASEMENT. If we stick together, we can beat this monster. Eminent domain should never be used to give a PRIVATE company forever possession of YOUR land. The lives of our families, our neighbors and our communities are more valuable than any dollar amount Summit can offer.
Darlene Partlow, Guthrie County landowner
(Editor’s note: Guthrie County and Greene County are on the same Iowa Utilities Commission docket.)
