The 2026 Iowa legislative session is now two weeks in, with property rights and eminent domain once again taking center stage at the Capitol. State Senator Sandy Salmon of Janesville, who represents Senate District 29, including Butler County, says lawmakers are once again debating how carbon dioxide pipeline projects should be regulated.
The Iowa House recently advanced a bill that would ban the use of eminent domain for CO₂ pipelines, while Senate leaders have introduced a separate proposal outlining new requirements for pipeline companies seeking voluntary easements from landowners. Salmon tells RadioOnTheGo News the issue remains highly contentious, particularly for rural property owners concerned about government overreach.
“I was really glad to see that bill go through the House that protects private property rights. The bill that the Senate leaders have put forward puts more guardrails and protections for private property rights. And so there are some good provisions in the bill, but it doesn’t ban the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines and that’s the problem that I have with it. The House and Senate are going to have to come to some kind of an agreement for us to be able to move something, so I don’t know what shape and form that agreement’s going to take because both sides are pretty dug in on their positions.”
Beyond property rights issues, Salmon says she is working on several other priorities this session. She adds that her priorities this session also include property tax reform and education policy, but she notes protecting children online has become a growing focus for her, particularly legislation aimed at improving digital safety.
“Kids can get on the internet in schools and in libraries and go into research platforms. Once they go into those research platforms, the protections that school libraries have, those protections are no longer operational for them. And when they get into those research platforms and click on various things, they can get to some pretty inappropriate and dangerous and damaging materials. And so this is something we need to work on. This is something that I spent quite a bit of time working on trying to shore up safety for our kids when they’re online.”
Several property rights proposals have already advanced out of committee, while other issues Salmon is prioritizing, including online safety, remain under discussion.
Copy of Salmon’s latest Capitol Corner newsletter below
