The leader of Democrats in the Iowa House believes a silent majority of Iowans want the carbon capture pipeline to be built, and he says the Senate’s Republican leader has proposed a resolution that will end the stalemate.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh is offering a bill that would expand the proposed pipeline corridor, so Summit Carbon Solutions could go around unwilling landowners and find people who’d let the pipeline run through their land. Meyer is one of 21 Democrats in the House who voted against a bill this month that would completely ban the use of eminent domain to seize land along the pipeline route.
Some Republicans like Adam Steen, who’s running for governor, have suggested the push to protect the property rights of landowners who oppose the pipeline is among the top campaign issues of 2026. Meyer says the Senate GOP leader’s bill is the best way to resolve the issue.
That’s a reference to landowners and their supporters who’ve gathered at the Iowa Capitol most Tuesdays during the past few legislative sessions, urging legislators to either block the pipeline or at least give them the right to say it can’t be on their property.
But Meyer says it’s time to get the pipeline started.
Meyer made his comments this weekend during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS.
