(Radio Iowa) – Republicans who oppose the use of eminent domain to seize land for the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline are urging Iowans to lobby members of the Senate to protect property rights. During a news conference at the Iowa Capitol, Senator Doug Campbell of Mason City had this message for land owners who are fighting the project. “You will prevail, but you cannot disengage. You cannot give up for any and every reason,” Campbell said. “…Don’t give in. Persist.”

Representative Helena Hayes of New Sharon says the now abandoned Navigator pipeline project would have gone through her House district. “And I’m thankful for that, but I didn’t sit back and go, ‘Whew! O.K., I guess I don’t have to worry about it anymore,'” she said. “No, because directly or indirectly this issue affects all Iowans.” Representative Charley Thomson of Charles City says Summit should shelve the project. “I’m calling today for Summit to withdraw their petition from the I.U.C.,” Thomson said, to applause. “It never should have been approved. It doesn’t comply with law. It doesn’t comply with the constitution. I think now that we’ve seen, there’s no basis under the current IUC order to proceed.”

A new law in South Dakota forbids Summit from using eminent domain to acquire land from unwilling South Dakota property owners. The Iowa Utilities Commission’s permit for the pipeline is conditioned on the company getting permits to operate in other states along the pipeline route. Muscatine Senator Mark Lofgren says Republicans in the senate are working with a Republican who supports the pipeline, in hopes of passing some eminent domain protections.  “It’s in our best interest to let Republicans kind of work through these things,” Lofgren said. “…We’re not done yet.”

House Republicans are preparing a package of pipeline-related proposals, but House G-O-P bills on the subject have never been considered in the senate over the past three years. A spokesperson for Summit Carbon Solutions says the company respects the role of elected officials in the policy-making process and remains focused on delivering a project that supports Iowa agriculture, ethanol, and national energy dominance.