The top Republican in the Iowa Senate plans to sponsor legislation next year that would give developers such as Summit Carbon Solutions more flexibility in altering pipeline routes. The proposal would also apply to other utility infrastructure, including transmission lines.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh of Spillville says he has spent the past three months discussing potential solutions with Senate Republicans aimed at resolving the debate over carbon pipelines early in the 2026 legislative session, which convenes in January.
Klimesh says Senate Republicans want to respect private property rights and significantly reduce the need to use eminent domain to build infrastructure.
Under the proposal, once a company submits a proposed route to state utility regulators, developers could adjust that route within a 10-mile corridor to avoid property owned by landowners who do not want the project on their land.
