By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Officials in 44 Iowa counties have now taken action to express concerns about the three proposed carbon pipelines.

In the past week, the Adair and Floyd County Boards of Supervisors have sent letters to state regulators. Floyd County Supervisor Linda Tjaden says the proposed Summit and Navigator pipeline routes pass through Floyd County.

“It wasn’t strong language of doing an ordinance by any means or a resolution,” she says, “but what we did was two different letters and they basically said the same thing.”

The Floyd County letters express concern about training for emergency crews who’d have to respond to pipeline ruptures, as well as potential construction damage to land and drainage tiles. The letter about the Summit route also mentions it would pass through the Avenue of the Saints Development Park in Charles City and the pipeline could damage electrical, water and sewage utilities in the area.

“We’re trying to get a business, you know a factory or a business that’s going to come in and purchase that property and build on that,” Tjaden says.

The letter from the Floyd County supervisors also expresses concern about the use of eminent domain for “a private purpose.” State law allows pipeline developers to apply for eminent domain authority to gain access to properties where landowners have refused to grant voluntary easements.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors has sent the Iowa Utilities Board a letter, saying the board is not opposed to the purpose or construction of the pipeline, but is opposed to eminent domain being used “as a way of achieving it.” None of the three proposed pipeline routes run through Adair County, but there are nearby ethanol plants in Menlo and Corning. If those facilities are connected to a carbon capture pipeline in the future, the route would likely pass through Adair County.