Iowa
Here’s the path forward to protecting Iowa farmers and Iowa property rights | Opinion
Iowa needs a compromised approach to eminent domain.
What is the Summit Carbon Solutions pipleine project?
Ames, Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions wants to build a pipeline across several states to trap carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and bury it.
Iowa has an important question to answer: How do we balance keeping Iowa’s farmers and ethanol industry competitive with the fundamental protection of private property? The proposed carbon capture pipelines, like Summit Carbon Solutions’, force this question into the forefront.
While those in favor of the pipeline view such projects as vital for Iowa’s ethanol industry, the reality is far more complex, driven by private gain and misdirected environmental concern.
The crux of the issue is the controversial use of eminent domain. Historically reserved for public infrastructure like roads and schools, its application for a private, for-profit pipeline has unfortunately been upheld in federal court. These projects are fueled by billions in federal 45Q tax credits, turning taxpayer dollars into private profits.
Even more concerning, a majority of the captured carbon is slated for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), effectively using public subsidies to extract more fossil fuels — a practice that unequivocally undermines genuine carbon reduction goals and highlights the costly, inefficient nature of these pipelines for true climate action.
Yet, one must acknowledge the challenging position of Iowa’s ethanol industry. Facing competition and the necessity to access low-carbon fuel markets like California’s, our ethanol plants feel economically compelled to participate in these projects. It’s a bitter pill: being “forced to play the game” to remain competitive (some estimates calculate a reduction of $0.75 per bushel of corn without the pipeline), even if the means raise profound concerns about property rights — in addition to the aforementioned dubious utility of carbon capture pipelines. This is an unfortunate, but necessary Faustian bargain that must be carefully measured.
Iowa needs a compromised approach to eminent domain. First, mandate a high threshold of voluntary easements of 80% to 90% before eminent domain can be considered. This at least forces the opportunity for genuine negotiation and significantly strengthens landowners’ property rights. Given that these negotiations are frequently far from good faith, such a mandate is necessary.
Second, for the few remaining landowners facing condemnation (if that high threshold is met), mandate enhanced compensation, at least 125% of the appraised fair market value. “Fair market value” is almost always insufficient, failing to account for the long-term impacts on farming operations, soil health, or the inherent coercion of an involuntary taking. Drawing inspiration from models in other states, this multiplier ensures landowners are more justly compensated for contributing to a private entity’s profit, especially in a project whose viability is heavily subsidized by taxpayers.
This approach allows Iowa’s agricultural industries to remain competitive, while stemming eminent domain abuse. We must respect private property rights, keep Iowa’s ethanol industry competitive, and ensure that private gain does not come at the undue expense of Iowa’s landowners.
Michael Brixius is a pharmacist and the current Story County GOP organizational chair.
Five people were shot and injured at an Iowa City pedestrian mall near the University of Iowa campus overnight, police said Sunday. Students from the university were among the injured, according to school officials.
The Iowa City Police Department responded to a report of a large fight in the 100 Block of East College Street at 1:46 a.m. early Sunday, the department said in a news release. Arriving officers heard gunfire.
Multiple victims were hospitalized, police said. Police confirmed to CBS News that one person was in critical condition, while the other four victims are stable.
University of Iowa President Barb Wilson said in a statement that three students were among those shot. None of the victims has been publicly identified.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Police said they are seeking information about five “persons of interest associated with this shooting.” The university also shared the request for information.
The pedestrian mall was closed for several hours and reopened Sunday afternoon.
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field
Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field
Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.
Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field
Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field
Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.
Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis
Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.
Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf
One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.
Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf
An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.
Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field
Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.
Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field
The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.
Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.
The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.
After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.
“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”
Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).
“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.
A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”
A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.
Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.
He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.
A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.
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