On Friday night, there will be an informational meeting regarding the proposed carbon pipelines which may be laid and buried in area counties such as Hancock, Kossuth, Wright, and Palo Alto Counties. The pipes will transport carbon drawn from ethanol plants along thousands of miles of routes through Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas.
Jessica Mazour is with the Iowa Sierra Club as an executive. She explained how she got involved with the movement to oppose the pipelines.
While many believe that the intent is to improve the environment by preventing carbon from polluting the air, Mazour has a different take on the reason for the pipelines.
What has been remarkable has been the incredibly large bipartisan support found by Mazour and others who are against the pipeline. One of the core issues that unites these individuals is the use by a private company of eminent domain against landowners and farmers in order to acquire land to build the project. In a recent Des Moines Register poll, nearly 80% were against private companies granted capability to use eminent domain against private landowners.
In order to move the carbon through the pipelines, water must be used on the lines. With the recent droughts and water tables much lower than normal in much of the state, this concerns people like Mazour. They know that the process requires large amounts of water and that carbon pipeline companies are trying to acquire a significant number of water rights to accommodate the need.
Mazour explained that there is a question as to beneficial use when it comes to the use of water rights to cool and move the carbon.
Local emergency preparedness in case of a pipeline break has also been called into question. First responders in the area are very limited when it comes to evacuation, medical attention, or even getting to the heart of the emergency because emergency vehicles require air to operate which would be extremely limited in a carbon gas plume that could extend for almost a mile. Experts say that the plume could remain dangerous and even lethal when moved in any direction by light winds before dissipating.
The meeting will take place at the Wesley Community Center located at 105 2nd Street South in Wesley. It begins at 6pm and is expected to last until 8pm. It is free and open to the public.
