Mahaska County Supervisors Vote to Oppose State Carbon Pipeline, Cite Property Rights Concerns

The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline that would cross approximately 37 private properties in the county, citing concerns about eminent domain abuse, property rights, and safety risks.

The 3-0 vote directs county staff to formally submit the county's opposition to the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC), which is reviewing the pipeline's permit application, and to file an amicus brief in support of landowners who have challenged the project.

The Proposed Pipeline

The pipeline, proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions, would transport captured CO2 from ethanol plants across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas to an underground storage facility in North Dakota. The project is part of a broader push to reduce carbon emissions from agricultural processing — ethanol producers say the pipeline is essential to access lucrative carbon-credit markets and remain competitive.

However, the proposed route would cross 37 private properties in Mahaska County alone, and several landowners have refused to grant easements, prompting Summit to pursue eminent domain — the legal power to condemn and take private property for a public purpose.

"When a private company can use the power of the government to take land from a farmer who doesn't want to sell, that's not public use," said Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Doland. "That's corporate welfare. And we're not going to stand for it."

Property Rights at the Heart of the Debate

The opposition to the carbon pipeline cuts across party lines in rural Iowa, uniting conservative property-rights advocates and progressive environmentalists in a shared concern about corporate power and eminent domain abuse.

"This isn't a Republican issue or a Democrat issue," said Supervisor Doland. "This is an issue of fundamental fairness. When a private corporation can partner with the government to force a farmer off his own land, something has gone wrong in this country."

According to the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club, the Summit pipeline would cross approximately 680 miles of Iowa farmland and require the acquisition of easements on more than 2,000 parcels of private property. The Iowa Utilities Commission has the authority to grant eminent domain for the project if it determines the pipeline serves a "public purpose" — a determination that landowners and their supporters fiercely dispute.

"Carbon capture for the benefit of a private corporation's bottom line is not a public purpose," said Oskaloosa attorney Jane Hall, who represents several Mahaska County landowners challenging the pipeline. "The public doesn't benefit from this. The ethanol companies benefit. Summit Carbon Solutions benefits. The landowners who lose their property get nothing but disruption and risk."

Safety Concerns

In addition to property rights concerns, opponents cite safety risks associated with CO2 pipelines. In 2020, a CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi, forced the evacuation of approximately 200 residents and sent 45 people to the hospital. A subsequent investigation by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) found that the rupture released approximately 31,000 barrels of CO2, creating a ground-hugging cloud that displaced oxygen and caused breathing difficulties.

"CO2 is an asphyxiant at high concentrations," said Dr. Susan Strand, an environmental health expert who testified before the Iowa Utilities Commission. "A pipeline rupture in a populated area could be catastrophic. And the properties along the proposed route in Mahaska County include homes, schools, and businesses."

Summit Carbon Solutions has stated that the pipeline will be built to federal safety standards and will include advanced monitoring and leak detection systems. "Safety is our top priority," the company said in a statement. "We are committed to building and operating this pipeline to the highest safety standards in the industry."

A Growing Movement

The Mahaska County vote is part of a broader movement across rural Iowa. At least 32 Iowa counties have passed resolutions opposing the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines, and the Iowa Farm Bureau has formally opposed the projects.

"This is about more than one pipeline in one county," Supervisor Doland said. "This is about the fundamental relationship between government, corporations, and individual citizens. If we allow this precedent to stand — if we allow a private company to use government power to take land — then no one's property is safe. Not in Mahaska County. Not anywhere."

Oskaloosa, the Mahaska County seat with a population of approximately 11,500, has a strong agricultural heritage. Many of the properties along the proposed pipeline route have been in the same families for generations.

"My grandfather bought this land in 1947," said Mahaska County farmer Robert DeBruin. "He worked it, he built on it, he raised his family on it, and he passed it to my father, who passed it to me. And now a corporation from out of state wants to dig a trench through the middle of it and tell me I don't have a say? That's not right. That's not American."

What Happens Next

The Iowa Utilities Commission is expected to make a decision on the pipeline permit later this year. The Mahaska County resolution will be submitted to the IUC as part of the public record.

Supervisor Doland urged residents to submit public comments to the IUC and to contact their state representatives. "The more voices they hear from, the harder it is to ignore us," he said. "This is about protecting our land, our rights, and our community. We're going to fight this every step of the way."

Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst have both expressed concerns about the use of eminent domain for the pipeline. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, whose district includes Mahaska County, has also called for greater scrutiny of the project.

"The power of eminent domain was meant for roads, bridges, and public infrastructure — not private carbon pipelines," said Supervisor Doland. "It's time for our state and federal leaders to stand with landowners. We're counting on them."