Carbon pipelines, water quality progress divide Iowa ag secretary candidates

Mike Naig, Republican, Iowa secretary of agriculture (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

John Norwood, Democratic candidate for Iowa secretary of agriculture

JOHNSTON — The 2 candidates of Iowa secretary of agriculture on Friday differed on methods to make the state’s waterways cleaner and whether or not CO2 pipelines ought to be inbuilt Iowa.

Mike Naig, the Republican incumbent, and Democratic challenger John Norwood mentioned these points and others within the Friday taping of this weekend’s episode of “Iowa Press” at Iowa PBS studios in Johnston.

Naig stated carbon seize pipelines — three have been proposed in Iowa — would assist help the state’s corn farmers and ethanol trade, which is in want of diversification as automobiles turn out to be extra fuel-efficient and folks drive much less.

He stated he believes eminent area — the apply of presidency forcing landowners to enter into leases with firms constructing the pipelines — ought to solely be employed as a final resort.

Norwood stated he doesn’t help using eminent area for the proposed pipelines and that there are higher methods help Iowa’s corn growers and ethanol trade.

Many landowners throughout Iowa are protesting using eminent area for pipelines that may run by means of their farmland. Others welcome the cash they’d obtain for granting pipeline easements.

“This actually is a sizzling matter, and it’s one thing I hear about as I journey the state,” Naig stated. “I do hear from passionate folks on either side of this. You’ve acquired of us that aren’t occupied with having their land accessed for this venture. You’ve acquired of us that do not even help the idea of ethanol. …

“After which I hear from of us, actually the ethanol trade, renewable fuels trade and producers who really feel that they may profit from the extension of and the enlargement of ethanol within the state of Iowa, that they’re on this. So I believe there are some compelling causes to be speaking about this.”

Naig stated the method of pipeline firms working with landowners ought to be allowed to play out, and that eminent area ought to solely be used as a final resort as soon as “important voluntary agreements” are in place.

Norwood, who lives in West Des Moines and is a small-business proprietor, stated a greater option to help Iowa’s corn growers and ethanol trade is thru an enlargement of the federal ethanol mandate to incorporate fuels utilized by airplanes, trains, long-haul vehicles and marine boats.

“I believe we should be specializing in, quite than making an attempt to make use of the carbon pipelines to prop up a declining market — which is our cars as they shift to electrical automobiles — we should be trying on the hard-to-electrify markets,” Norwood stated. “That may be a function that authorities may play: Create new markets for ethanol, which is sensible, not attempt to prop up markets which might be falling, catching a falling knife.”

Water high quality

Norwood stated the work to enhance Iowa’s water high quality shouldn’t be shifting quick sufficient, and that small initiatives should be employed on a a lot bigger scale.

Iowa State College in 2013 developed the Nutrient Discount Technique, which was designed to scale back the extent of vitamins which might be polluting Iowa’s waterways and harming sea life within the Gulf of Mexico.

“The present Nutrient Discount Technique isn’t working,” Norwood stated. “The one-off, doing issues one after the other, can’t scale to the 23 million acres. So we should be considering much less about is it voluntary or regulatory. The framework should be not doing issues one after the other, however doing them systematically.”

Naig stated he’s pleased with the progress made to date in addressing Iowa’s water high quality, particularly on limiting phosphorous within the water, whereas acknowledging extra works must be carried out, particularly with nitrogen.

“There are millions of individuals who work on these points and are literally placing practices on the bottom within the state of Iowa. I don’t take into account {that a} failure in any kind or vogue,” Naig stated. “We now have modified the trajectory. We’re centered on accelerating and scaling up the adoption of practices throughout the state. That’s the correct strategy.”

“Iowa Press” could be considered at 7:30 p.m. Friday and midday Sunday on Iowa PBS; 8:30 a.m. Saturday on Iowa PBS World; and on-line at and any time on-line at iowapbs.org.

Feedback: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com