Yesterday, amidst mounting opposition to carbon pipelines proposed for Iowa and the Midwest, Texas-based Navigator CO2 Ventures filed for Iowa state permits through the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB).

The company’s IUB filing is the first hurdle to beginning construction in Iowa, where the project is proposed to cover 900 miles in state, crossing more than a third of Iowa’s counties. While the pipeline is planned to cross five states, Iowa is the second where Navigator has applied for permits.

Iowans are opposed to carbon pipelines, concerned with property rights, safety, farmland degradation and climate change. An overwhelming 80% of registered voters oppose the use of eminent domain for the projects, and over half of the counties impacted by Navigator’s pipeline proposal oppose the project. Constituents and elected officials alike are making their opposition clear: the project’s Iowa Utilities Board docket already contains more than 1000 comments and objections. 

Food & Water Watch Senior Iowa Organizer Emma Schmit issued the following statement:

“Hazardous carbon pipelines like Navigator’s are dangerous scams that stand to make a few out-of-staters wealthy at the expense of a whole lot of Iowans — we are having none of it. But as billions of our tax dollars fund these unproven, unwanted projects, Iowa’s legislative leaders have proven unwilling to stand up to private donors and stand up for their constituents. Last session, our legislature failed to pass critical bills to protect Iowa communities, land and climate from these dangerous projects — it can’t happen again.

“Navigator’s scheme is unwelcome in Iowa. Governor Reynolds must put aside her vested interest in this corporate money making scam, support legislation to protect Iowans from unwanted hazardous carbon pipelines and direct her IUB to deny Navigator its permits. We cannot allow carbon capture and its hundreds of miles of destructive, dangerous pipeline to take root in Iowa.”

Contact: Phoebe Galt, [email protected]