Letters to the Editor: CO2 pipelines, wind energy projects

CO2 pipelines shouldn’t get to use eminent domain

By Pat and Dale Mennenga, Clarksville

The November election is nearing. My husband and I are voting specifically on the issue of private property rights. Our constitutional rights are being violated by the June 2024 Iowa Utility Commission’s ruling of eminent domain being used by a private company for financial gain.

We, along with several other landowners, fought Navigator Carbon Pipeline and won! We are now affected by Summit CO2 phase II pipelines. They want to use eminent domain to install a hazardous carbon pipeline and control our land, because we won’t sign an easement.

The overwhelming majority of landowners that attended the Summit informational meetings voiced their disagreements with the proposed pipeline. My husband and I (who own land in Butler and Floyd counties) attended four different county meetings, all with landowners and neighbors in opposition.

I also attended the press conference in Charles City announcing the state and federal lawsuits filed against the IUC’s ruling. These lawsuits were filed by several Iowa House of Representatives and Senate lawmakers being referred to as the legislative interveners.

I am so proud to have these nearly 40 lawmakers on our side.

I contacted one local legislator who has not joined this group. Her reasons were very weak and counterproductive, stating she would work on it during the legislative session beginning in January. Not a good response, in my opinion.

The constitution states that private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation. First and foremost, CO2 pipelines are not a public use. This is a private company working for private gain.

Summit Carbon Solutions is owned by Iowan Bruce Rastetter. You can google all his past endeavors. This is a boondoggle! There may be government individuals approving this fraud, but many of those people receive contributions from Bruce Rastetter.

This happens in Democratic and Republican politics. Big money donors can influence politicians. It can and does cause corruption. Do your homework and VOTE in November. Protect property rights. Your home may be affected next.

All about the tax credits with wind energy projects

By Steve and Ann McGregor, Charles City

We love living on our acreage. We appreciate the quiet and the great beauty here.

It was disturbing for us to learn of the proposed Marble Ridge wind farm. Potentially, we could be surrounded by 600-to 700-foot-tall wind turbines which will make noise and ruin our beautiful view. Other acreage owners in our area feel similarly. We also have grave concerns about wind farm damage to our water and soil natural resources.

We won’t benefit from federal tax credits collected by the alternative energy companies who then pay landowners to host wind turbines on their land. The value of our acreage most likely will decrease.

A December 2023 government study of over half a million properties near wind farms shows that “For homes within 1 mile of a wind project compared to homes 3-5 miles away, we found an average reduction in home sale prices of approximately 11%.”

Warren Buffett, whose company owns MidAmerican Energy, has stated, “We get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms. That’s the only reason to build them.” So, we should not be surprised if MidAmerican Energy, Invenergy, and NextEra use legal means to “bully” Floyd County into agreeing to host the proposed Marble Ridge wind farm.

An October 13, 2022, Forbes article reports about the “scorched earth” tactics used by these companies. MidAmerican Energy sued Madison County, and Invenergy sued Worth County in Iowa over wind farms. NextEra sued other counties in other Midwestern states.

From the same Forbes article: “Invenergy, MidAmerican, and NextEra have been using litigation as part of their effort to capture tens of millions of dollars in federal tax credits.” Also, “…the pursuit of wind and solar across rural America is not about climate change. Instead, it’s about money and the no-holds-barred pursuit of tax credits.”