Ryan Melton, the Democratic candidate in Iowa’s fourth congressional district, is opposed to construction of pipelines that capture carbon from Iowa ethanol plants.
Melton says the projects will benefit private corporations and the government’s eminent domain process is supposed to be used for projects that have a public purpose.
Melton, who lives in Nevada, is challenging Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra’s bid for a second term in the U.S. House. In a column by Feenstra that was published in several newspapers last year, Feenstra said carbon pipelines have the potential to boost the ethanol industry and ensure Iowa farmers continue to have a strong market for their corn. Melton says the further north and west you go in Iowa, the more concerns you hear about the proposed pipelines.
Melton says the focus, instead, should be to expand wind and solar power generation to reduce the use of carbon-based energy sources. Melton made his comments on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair.
