EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 3/29/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Bill to restrict eminent domain for pipeline projects will not pass legislative deadline
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota House kills remaining CO2 pipeline bills
AgWeek: Farmer concerns and support surface at Summit carbon pipeline hearing
Hancock County Journal-Pilot: County board hears both sides of CO2 pipeline issue, votes to continue with group opposing construction
KGLO: Carbon pipelines subject of recent legislative forums, protestors shut Clear Lake forum down early this morning
Fairbury Journal-News: Keystone Non-Disclosure Agreements Raise Further Transparency Concerns
Associated Press: Probe of chocolate factory blast focuses on gas pipeline
WHYY: PECO natural gas pipelines did not cause Pottstown home explosion; cause remains unknown, says PUC
Natural Gas Intelligence: Enbridge ‘Diverts’ $1B to Feed RNG Market
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Washington Post: GOP wants to attach permitting bill to debt limit deal
E&E News: House Republicans are chipping away at landmark climate law
E&E News: Westerman To Grijalva: No Plans To Hold Hearing On IPCC Report
STATE UPDATES
The Hill: Baltimore mayor rejects request to process East Palestine wastewater
Seattle Times: Judge rules BNSF intentionally violated terms of easement with Swinomish tribe
Loveland Reporter-Herald: McWhinney announces withdrawal of oil and gas application
NM Political Report: Matador enters into $6.2 million settlement with NMED, EPA
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Northern Alberta oilsands tailings leak to face third-party probe, energy regulator says
Canadian Press: Crescent Point to buy Spartan Delta Corp.'s Montney assets in $1.7B deal
Bloomberg: Here’s How Much Top US Polluters Must Cut Methane To Avoid Fees
Star Tribune: In CenterPoint pilot project, CO2 waste will be used for soap-making
OPINION
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Will GOP senators defy Iowa voters to protect unpopular pipelines?
PIPELINE NEWS
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Bill to restrict eminent domain for pipeline projects will not pass legislative deadline
Erin Murphy, 3/28/23
“A bill that would have required more voluntary landowner participation before eminent domain could be used to build a carbon capture pipeline will not be advanced ahead of an Iowa legislative deadline this week, a key state lawmaker said Tuesday,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “...It will not advance in the Iowa Senate, Iowa Sen. Michael Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny to whom the legislation was assigned in the Senate, told the Gazette. Bousselot told the Gazette Tuesday he has not scheduled a subcommittee hearing on the bill — the first step in the legislative process — because there is not sufficient time to get the bill passed out of the Senate’s committee on commerce before Friday’s deadline. The Senate Commerce Committee, as of Tuesday afternoon, is not scheduled to meet again this week. That committee is chaired by Sen. Waylon Brown, a Republican from Osage. Neither Brown nor Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a Republican from Grimes, were at the Iowa Capitol on Tuesday afternoon and thus were unavailable for comment, a spokesman for Senate Republicans told the Gazette… “The proposed restriction on the use of eminent domain passed the Iowa House last week. But unless something changes in the Senate over the next few days, the bill will not pass out of a Senate committee before the Friday deadline. That means the bill will be ineligible for consideration for the rest of 2023, with some exceptions: chamber leaders have legislative tools at their disposal to resurrect proposals, or it could be amended into separate legislation… “Jess Mazour, the conservation coordinator for the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club, accused Senate leadership of attempting to kill the bill and ignoring the landowners who she said overwhelmingly support a limit to eminent domain practices. She told the Gazette reaching a legislative agreement would be difficult, but the group will continue to push lawmakers to take action to limit CO2 pipelines. “It’s really clear that the only thing stopping it is the political will,” she told the Gazette… “Bousselot previously worked as managing director and head of external relations for Summit Agricultural Group, of which Summit Carbon Solutions is a subsidiary.”
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota House kills remaining CO2 pipeline bills
JACK DURA, 3/28/23
“The North Dakota House of Representatives on Tuesday killed the remaining bills proposed by a state lawmaker seeking to bolster private property rights in connection with carbon dioxide pipelines,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “Sen. Jeff Magrum, R-Hazelton, brought several bills dealing with CO2 pipelines and eminent domain -- the seizure of private property rights against a landowner's wishes -- in response to Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed CO2 pipeline that is being reviewed by the North Dakota Public Service Commission. Senate Bill 2251 failed in a 46-46 vote. It sought to require survey crews to get written consent from landowners or a court order before entering their property. The bill needed 48 votes to pass… “Senate Bill 2313 failed 40-51. It was for an optional interim 2023-24 legislative study of "fair and just compensation in all eminent domain proceedings." “...Some landowners along the route of Summit's proposed Midwest Carbon Express pipeline worry that the company will resort to eminent domain.”
AgWeek: Farmer concerns and support surface at Summit carbon pipeline hearing
Jeff Beach, 3/28/23
“Benjamin Dotzenrod says he doesn’t want to drive over a hazardous liquid carbon dioxide pipeline with a heavy piece of farm equipment,” AgWeek reports. “Dotzenrod described for the North Dakota Public Service Commission in a hearing on the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline on Tuesday, March 28, how air pockets can develop underground in farm fields where drain tile has been broken and repaired… “Such a collapse under a piece of heavy equipment could lead to a rupture of the pipeline below, he said. That would be considered a “third party strike,” meaning he would be responsible for the carbon dioxide leak and its potentially lethal consequences… “Tuesday’s was the second PSC hearing on the Summit pipeline, which would connect 32 ethanol plants in five states to an underground storage site in western North Dakota. While the first hearing in Bismarck focused largely on public safety for the growing residential areas east of Bismarck, the second in Gwinner focused more on the affects — positive and negative — to farmers. While some, like Dotzenrod, were concerned about safety, liability and lost production, others testified that they support carbon capture and storage as a way to keep the ethanol industry and corn growers healthy… “Kevin Skunes is a farmer from Arthur, North Dakota, north of the only North Dakota ethanol plant on the pipeline route, Tharaldson Ethanol at Casselton. He’s also a former president of the North Dakota Corn Growers Association and a current board member of the group. He said he was asked by Summit to testify… “Lyle Bopp is a Sargent County commissioner who said he has signed an easement with Summit. But he also has concerns about a possible leak. He said Sargent County was given safety assurances by the developers of the Keystone oil pipeline, which has leaked in nearby areas. “That's the concern I have with the pipeline here as I listen to a lot of assurances, but I also heard those same assurances with the Keystone Pipeline,” Bopp said… “At the end of the hearing, commissioners set June 2 to have a second hearing in Bismarck.”
Hancock County Journal-Pilot: County board hears both sides of CO2 pipeline issue, votes to continue with group opposing construction
Joy Swearingen, 3/28/23
“The large courtroom was used at the beginning of the Hancock County Board meeting March 21 due to the number of people present speaking on both sides of the carbon dioxide pipeline issue,” the Hancock County Journal-Pilot reports. “A presentation was made by Lan and Pam Richart from Champaign, representing the Eco-Justice Collaborative, which opposed building the proposed CO2 pipeline that crosses through Hancock County. Their information showed a pipeline rupture test and the effects of the pressurized CO2 as it was released. They gave information about the uncertainty of regulation of pipelines, and spoke to what counties could do to push back against the project. Steve Hess, part of a six-generation McDonough County farm, described how the pipeline would impact his farmland as it continues east on beyond Hancock County… “He described the loss of productivity in fields many years after other kinds of pipelines had disrupted fields and compacted soils… “Representatives from the heavy equipment operators union local No. 629 came to the meeting with signs, which stressed the value of local jobs created by the construction of the pipeline. He asked for a show of hands for those who had natural gas or electricity in their homes, noting these potentially dangerous situations are managed. Other individuals in the audience spoke with concern about these closeness of the pressurized pipeline to their homes, farms and churches, and the danger if there should be a break in the line. Pete Dowdall, an 88-year-old farmer whose fields were disturbed by the Dakota natural gas pipelines several years ago, spoke of the continued lower yields and other problems caused by that pipeline. Later in the meeting, the board voted for Hancock County to continue with a group opposing the pipeline. The county has paid around $21,000 so far in legal fees to be part of the group. It was estimated another $30,000 would be needed in the coming years.”
KGLO: Carbon pipelines subject of recent legislative forums, protestors shut Clear Lake forum down early this morning
3/24/23
“All of north-central Iowa’s House members this week voted to approve a bill requiring at least 90% of the miles along proposed carbon pipeline routes be voluntarily secured before the government’s eminent domain authority could be used to seize the rest of the land,” KGLO reports. “...During House debate on the bill, Mason City Democrat Sharon Steckman told KGLO that at the legislative forums she’s held throughout the session in Mason City, both Democrats and Republicans have shown up, expressing that they don’t want the pipelines to be constructed. “The chair of the Cerro Gordo County Republican Party came to all of them, and my former opponent, and many like-minded folks, and my usual attendees. I would have a room full of maybe 80-90 people. The one thing every person in that room agreed upon was not wanting the pipeline. They were all opposed to the pipeline.” “...The topic of carbon pipeline routes did not come up this morning during a legislative forum attended by Senator Waylon Brown and Representative Jane Bloomingdale at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake sponsored by the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce, which irked some pipeline protesters and forced organizers to stop the forum early.”
Fairbury Journal-News: Keystone Non-Disclosure Agreements Raise Further Transparency Concerns
Gordon Hopkins, 3/28/23
“Concerns about transparency were raised during a hearing of the Kansas Legislature held Tuesday, March 14, with Gary Salsman, TC Energy Vice President, Field Operations, answering questions about the oil spill near Mill Creek,” the Fairbury Journal-News reports. “On December 7, 2022, a leak of the Keystone Pipeline dumped an estimated 12,937 barrels of crude oil…”
Associated Press: Probe of chocolate factory blast focuses on gas pipeline
MICHAEL RUBINKAM, 3/28/23
“Federal safety officials are investigating the role of a natural gas pipeline in a fatal blast at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory,” the Associated Press reports. “The National Transportation Safety Board announced the probe late Tuesday afternoon, calling the incident a “natural gas” explosion and fire. The powerful explosion at R.M. Palmer Co. killed seven people, sent 10 to the hospital and damaged several other buildings. Some workers told relatives they smelled natural gas before the blast. Pennsylvania State Police have said “everything’s on the table” as fire marshals also try to pinpoint the origin and cause.”
WHYY: PECO natural gas pipelines did not cause Pottstown home explosion; cause remains unknown, says PUC
Emily Rizzo, 3/28/23
“PECO’s natural gas pipelines did not cause the deadly explosion in Pottstown, Montgomery County, last May. That’s the conclusion of a 10-month investigation by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission,” WHYY reports. “There is “no evidence that public utility natural gas service contributed to that deadly event,” reads the report. The explosion destroyed two homes and killed five people, including four children and their grandmother, and injured the children’s two parents. The investigation into what did cause the explosion is ongoing, and is led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which did not return WHYY News’ requests for comment. Although the PUC’s report indicates the investigation should now focus on the interior of the house, it does not have jurisdiction… “Although the PUC found gas leaks on Hale Street, it said the gas did not enter the building nor the foundation wall. Neighbors previously shared with WHYY that they consistently smelled gas in the area… “The explosion rendered six houses in the area “uninhabitable” by the Department of Licensing and Inspections, according to L&I Director Keith Place. Officials ruled out any type of drug activity, such as a meth lab, early on in the investigation.”
Natural Gas Intelligence: Enbridge ‘Diverts’ $1B to Feed RNG Market
GABRIELLE VITALI, 3/28/23
“Calgary-based pipeline giant Enbridge Inc. has agreed to spend $1 billion in a U.S. development with Divert Inc. to turn food waste into renewable natural gas (RNG),” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “The investment is part of a plan to develop facilities in major U.S. regions within 100 miles of 80% of the population, according to the companies… “Divert, one of the largest anaerobic digesters of wasted food in the United States, has also partnered with BP plc in a 10-year RNG offtake agreement… “Enbridge has made major investments in RNG and other projects to reduce its emissions footprint. For example, Enbridge, Capital Power Corp. and Lehigh Cement support the Open Access Wabamun Carbon hub, an Alberta carbon capture storage and utilization (CCUS) project. Enbridge is among several key bidders that responded to Alberta’s call for CCUS sites. Enbridge has also launched plans to build a natural gas pipeline expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60%. The pipeline supports ArcelorMittal Dofasco, an Ontario- based steel company, transition to eliminate coal emissions in its steelmaking process. “
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Washington Post: GOP wants to attach permitting bill to debt limit deal
Maxine Joselow, 3/29/23
“House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday proposed attaching Republicans’ energy permitting measure to legislation that would raise the debt ceiling, Erik Wasson and Ari Natter report for Bloomberg News,” according to the Washington Post. “In a letter to Biden, McCarthy suggested attaching to the debt ceiling bill “measures to lower energy costs, make America energy independent” — a reference to provisions in Republicans’ energy package aimed at speeding up the permitting process for energy projects. McCarthy also requested a meeting with Biden to discuss the nation’s debt limit, The Washington Post’s John Wagner reports. However, Biden is hoping to advance a debt ceiling bill that doesn’t involve conditions.”
E&E News: House Republicans are chipping away at landmark climate law
Timothy Cama, 3/29/23
“House Republicans are going after the Democrats’ landmark climate change law, but they’re picking a handful of provisions to target instead of a broad assault,” E&E News reports. “Still, a senior Republican told E&E the anti-Inflation Reduction Act campaign is only beginning. With the energy and permitting bill on the floor this week, the GOP is choosing not to go headfirst against the Inflation Reduction Act, despite the party’s united opposition to the law that put $369 billion toward energy and fighting climate change. Instead, the bill represents a scalpel approach, with only small portions aimed at the climate law. The legislation, which Republicans have given the number H.R. 1, would claw back $27 billion tied to EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the law’s new fees on methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector, and a set of programs that provide rebates and training for energy-efficient appliances… “While H.R. 1 is the House GOP’s marquee energy offering, other Republican efforts have also taken aim at the climate law. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) in February introduced the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2023,” H.R. 812, which would repeal the entire statute… “Separately, the Energy and Commerce Committee last week approved the “Homeowner Energy Freedom Act,” H.R. 1603, legislation from Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) that would repeal the same Inflation Reduction Act efficiency measures targeted in the larger energy bill… “And while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) declared the bill “dead on arrival” in the Senate and President Joe Biden said he would veto it, Inflation Reduction Act supporters are nonetheless concerned. “It’s unbalanced. It’s repealing several very important provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, particularly those oriented towards middle- and low-income Americans,” John Podesta, Biden’s top adviser for the law’s implementation, said at an event in Washington this week. “It’s all largely a giveaway to polluting industries and repeal of IRA,” he said.
E&E News: Westerman To Grijalva: No Plans To Hold Hearing On IPCC Report
Emma Dumain, 3/28/23
“A key House committee won’t be holding hearings anytime soon on new findings that humans are not acting fast enough to avert the worst effects of the climate crisis,” E&E News reports. “House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) is disinclined to give a congressional platform to a recent report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which warned that Earth is on course to rise in temperature beyond the previously set target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. He confirmed his lack of interest in a statement to E&E News in response to a request Tuesday from the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), that the Natural Resources panel ‘holding a hearing to discuss the harmful trends identified in the IPCC report and the actions Congress should take to address them.’ Westerman, in a statement, replied, ‘if my colleagues across the aisle hope to ever come close to hitting the administration’s climate goals, they can start by voting in support of the crucial permitting reforms included in the Lower Energy Costs Act.’”
STATE UPDATES
The Hill: Baltimore mayor rejects request to process East Palestine wastewater
STEPHEN NEUKAM, 3/28/23
“Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott denied a request from a contractor to dump pretreated wastewater from the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this year, citing public health concerns,” The Hill reports. “Clean Harbors, a waste management company, planned to bring at least 675,000 gallons of wastewater from East Palestine to the city-run Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant. But Scott and other local leaders balked at the plan. “Clean Harbors has facilities across the country that may be better positioned to dispose of the treated wastewater, and we urge them to explore those alternatives,” Scott said in a statement Monday. “Make no mistake — I stand against any efforts that could comprise the health and safety of our residents, and the environment.” The company told CBS News on Tuesday that it had scrapped the plans to move the wastewater to Maryland after Scott denied a request for a permit. The Baltimore mayor said that while he feels bad for the East Palestine community, he needed to take steps to protect the city. “I extend my deepest sympathy to the East Palestine, Ohio community as they grapple with the effects of this devastating derailment on their community, but I must remain steadfast in my commitment to protect our residents — at all costs,” Scott said.
Seattle Times: Judge rules BNSF intentionally violated terms of easement with Swinomish tribe
Isabella Breda, 3/27/23
“BNSF intentionally violated the terms of an easement agreement with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community when the railway company ran 100-car trains carrying crude oil over the reservation, a federal judge ruled Monday,” the Seattle Times reports. “The ruling in the civil case comes after two BNSF engines derailed March 16 on Swinomish land, leaking an estimated 3,100 gallons of diesel near Padilla Bay. BNSF has operated a rail line over the Swinomish Reservation under a 1991 easement agreement that permits trains traveling in each direction to carry no more than 25 cars per day. It also required BNSF to tell the tribe about the “nature and identity of all cargo” transported across the reservation. In a written order Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik said the railway made a unilateral decision in increasing the number of trains and cars crossing the reservation without the tribe’s consent. Lasnik ruled that BNSF “willfully, consciously and knowingly exceeded the limitations on its right of access” from September 2012 to May 2021 “in pursuit of profits.” “The tribe takes its agreements very seriously and it expects them to be honored, and we are thankful that BNSF is being held to the promises it made,” Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Chair Steve Edwards said in a statement.
Loveland Reporter-Herald: McWhinney announces withdrawal of oil and gas application
JOCELYN ROWLEY, 3/27/23
“A proposed oil and gas well pad that would have been next to the Centerra South development has been put on hold, at least for now,” the Loveland Reporter-Herald reports. “On Monday, MRG, LP, a company affiliated with McWhinney Real Estate Services, announced that it has withdrawn its application to the city of Loveland to drill 11 horizontal wells on property located along Larimer County Road 20E, east of Loveland Sports Park. “Our proposal for a drill pad adjacent to Centerra South included a number of features that would make it among the safest and least obtrusive in the state,” Troy McWhinney, principal of MRG, LP, said in a press release. “However, due to continued refinements to the Centerra South development plan, we have withdrawn the permit application for that drill pad as we reevaluate our options.” “...During a neighborhood meeting in January to discuss the proposal, several Loveland residents expressed their concerns about the wells extending under neighborhoods and open spaces in east Loveland.”
NM Political Report: Matador enters into $6.2 million settlement with NMED, EPA
Hannah Grover, 3/28/23
“An oil and gas company that allegedly released significant amounts of volatile organic compounds in the Permian Basin agreed to pay a $6.2 million settlement with the New Mexico Environment Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” according to NM Political Report. “The EPA discovered the emissions during flyovers in 2019 at six of Matador Production Company’s well pads… “This settlement begins to hold the ninth largest oil and gas producer in our state accountable and mitigate the harmful impacts to our communities and ability to breathe clean air,” NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said in a press release. “We are committed to holding companies accountable when they violate our air quality regulations.” “...The settlement includes a civil penalty of $1.15 million that will be split between the federal government and the state. Matador has also agreed to spend at least $1.25 million on a supplemental environmental project that involves diesel engine replacements. The consent decree released on Monday also calls for Matador to spend $500,000 addressing equipment leaks. Matador will also pay $2.5 million in injunctive relief and $800,000 in mitigation costs.”
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Northern Alberta oilsands tailings leak to face third-party probe, energy regulator says
Bob Weber, 3/28/23
“The Alberta Energy Regulator says it's looking for an outside investigator to dig into a release of oilsands tailings water that wasn't made public for nine months,” the Canadian Press reports. “In a statement released Tuesday, the regulator said it's seeking a "qualified, impartial, third-party body" to consider how it notified First Nations, governments and other stakeholders about two releases at Imperial Oil's Kearl oilsands mine north of Fort McMurray, Alta. Although Imperial notified the agency in May of discoloured water near one of the tailings ponds, area First Nations were not kept apprised of the ongoing investigation. Nor were the federal, Alberta and Northwest Territories governments. The seepage wasn't reported until nine months later after another 5.3 million litres of tailings escaped from a containment pond… “The decision for the investigation was made March 16. It was released Tuesday, almost two weeks later. The regulator said the inquiry will consider issues around notification and the timing of notification to Indigenous communities and other stakeholders. It will also consider "other potential process issues."
Canadian Press: Crescent Point to buy Spartan Delta Corp.'s Montney assets in $1.7B deal
Amanda Stephenson, 3/28/23
“Crescent Point Energy Corp. has reached a deal to buy Spartan Delta Corp.'s Montney oilfield assets in Alberta for $1.7 billion, a deal that will see the Calgary-based company significantly grow its presence in what is one of North America's largest unconventional petroleum plays,” the Canadian Press reports. “The all-cash deal announced Tuesday will see Crescent Point acquire 600 drilling locations in the Montney region, adding 38,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) to the company's production capacity… “Crescent Point has drilling operations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and North Dakota. In 2021, it acquired Shell Canada's Kaybob Duvernay assets for $900 million and has since been fortifying its position in that region, with additional purchases last year… “Crescent Point plans to manage the Montney assets by drilling approximately 25 wells per year, which it said will require approximately $250 million of annual capital expenditures. The company's production forecast in its five-year plan is now expected to grow to 195,000 boe/d by 2027.”
Bloomberg: Here’s How Much Top US Polluters Must Cut Methane To Avoid Fees. Aaron Clark, 3/28/23
“Endeavor Energy Resources must slash its US methane releases more than any other major emitter to avoid penalties that come into force next year, according to an analysis from BloombergNEF that examined how new rules impact the 10 biggest polluters of the greenhouse gas,” Bloomberg reports. “The report shows just how much work some of the world’s most prolific oil and gas producers must do to clean up releases of the potent greenhouse gas, which has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide during its first two decades in the atmosphere. Halting releases of methane, the primary component of natural gas, could do more to slow climate change than almost any other single measure.”
Star Tribune: In CenterPoint pilot project, CO2 waste will be used for soap-making
Mike Hughlett, 3/27/23
“The big black box in the boiler room at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bloomington looks a bit like something out of a science fiction movie. Inside, chemical reactions are turning carbon dioxide into grist for soap-making,” the Star Tribune reports. “The "CarbinX" machine is part of a CenterPoint Energy pilot program aimed at capturing carbon dioxide and boosting energy efficiency. "Decarbonization of the gas system is becoming more important to CenterPoint and the state of Minnesota," Todd Berreman, energy efficiency director at CenterPoint, told the Tribune. Indeed, gas utilities are under pressure from regulators and environmental groups to slash CO2 emissions… “Currently, CarbinX machines capture 25% of the CO2 in flue exhaust, but the company's CEO and founder, Jaeson Cardiff, told the Tribune a new model that would capture 50% of CO2 emissions is due out as early as this year. He told the Tribune 100% carbon capture is feasible… "We were very interested in the project because of our sustainability culture," Alberto Abreu, general manager of the Radisson Blu Mall of America, told the Tribune. "Hopefully, this will incentivize other hotels to try the unit." “...Cardiff told the Tribune the lodging industry is "particularly interesting" because hotels are natural customers of soap and other cleaning products. "They use a lot of detergents, and we can provide them with something that supports the circular economy."
OPINION
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Will GOP senators defy Iowa voters to protect unpopular pipelines?
Kathie Obradovich, 3/27/23
“We may learn this week who Iowa Senate Republicans fear most: The governor and the ethanol industry or the Farm Bureau and the voters,” Kathie Obradovich writes for the Iowa Capital Dispatch. “... The issue puts support for property rights, supposedly a GOP principle, in conflict with support for a multibillion-dollar Iowa industry… “The Iowa House passed the bill, which was blessed by the Iowa Farm Bureau, on a 73-20 vote. That’s a bold statement, given that the equally influential ethanol industry is claiming the bill would decimate their Iowa plants and, as a result, tank corn prices… “In this case, it’s angry rural voters who have rattled House Republicans enough to defy the Renewable Fuel Association and potentially the governor. The recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll tells the story: A whopping 78% of Iowans oppose using eminent domain to build carbon-capture pipelines on private land. That includes 72% of Republicans, according to the poll of 805 Iowa adults taken March 5-8 by Selzer & Co. One might think this would be a no-brainer for Senate Republicans… “[Governor Reynolds] has been relatively tight-lipped about the pipeline legislation, despite expressing support for the current law during the 2022 campaign. There have been no public veto threats and she said last month she might be open to “tweaks” in the law… “So where does that leave anxious farmers? The House bill needs to clear a Senate committee this week to remain eligible for debate… “The smart money in such situations is often on the Legislature doing nothing – or the next best thing, which would be a study like the one in the House bill. There’s also a better-than-even chance GOP leaders and the governor will whittle the House bill down to a “tweak” that won’t do squat to stop forced easements across Iowa farms. Lawmakers are willing to act against the wishes of a majority of Iowans as long as they think their constituents will reelect them anyway. Iowans who have something to lose over the pipeline issue will have to persuade senators and the governor they have something to lose, too.”