Judge orders Iowa agency to release list of landowners in pipeline path

An Iowa District Courtroom decide dominated Monday that the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) should make the listing of landowners prone to be affected by the Summit Carbon Options carbon dioxide pipeline obtainable to the general public inside 14 days. 

Summit compiled the listing of greater than 10,000 names final 12 months and gave it to the IUB for public assembly notices, asking the board to maintain it confidential. The Iowa-based firm needs to construct a 2,000-mile pipeline to take carbon dioxide off the stacks of ethanol crops and transport it to North Dakota, the place it could be saved completely underground. 

About 60% of affected landowners have refused to grant Summit pipeline easements. In December, the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Membership filed a request on behalf of a few of these landowners to get entry to the listing through the state’s open data act. 

Summit responded by asking for an injunction to cease the discharge of the listing, arguing that it would dissuade different pipeline tasks from sharing such lists sooner or later. On Monday, Polk County District Choose David Nelmark dominated towards Summit, noting in his determination that the aim of the open data act “is to open the doorways of presidency to public scrutiny—to stop authorities from secreting its decision-making actions from the general public, on whose behalf it’s its obligation to behave.”

Jess Mazour, conservation program coordinator for the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Membership, mentioned her group requested the listing to assist landowners combat again. “Summit vigorously fought to maintain the landowner listing confidential,” she mentioned, “so the landowners couldn’t kind a unified opposition.” Summit representatives couldn’t be reached late Monday.

Nelmark’s determination mentioned {that a} short-term injunction, issued in February, could be lifted in 14 days except Summit recordsdata for an emergency stick with the Iowa Supreme Courtroom.