To the editor:

August 29th, 12 p.m. at Jewell Golf Club in Jewell and 6 p.m. at Albrights Bluff in Iowa Falls is your chance to speak up and out against the corporation and the state taking away land for a farce of an environmental program.

Summit must hold a public informational meeting in every county that the new planned pipelines will be in. Join Iowa CCI (Citizens for Community Improvement) members and concerned residents to ask questions and share your concerns.

Summit Carbon Solutions already has permission to use eminent domain, pending approval from other states, to force the sale of private land for a carbon pipeline. The pipeline would capture carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and transport it deep underground in North Dakota. Summit would receive money sourced from the federal government for moving carbon dioxide underground. They now are planning even more pipelines. These informational meetings are about the second round of carbon pipeline plans.

The only people who benefit from this are certain politicians and certain investors. The public, whether you be conservative, liberal, or progressive, should all be against the state of Iowa taking land from farmers to give to this private company. Eminent domain should not be used to support private individuals but instead the whole state of Iowa. What benefit does this pipeline give us?

A leak in the pipeline could kill you. Carbon dioxide is a heavier gas and can sit in low areas for some time. It displaces oxygen, taking away your breath as well as preventing internal combustion engines from coming to save you.

The environmental aspect of this is ridiculous as well. If you wanted to help the environment or reduce climate pollution, there are many other ways to do so that are much more effective. Citizens’ Climate Lobby, or CCL, advocates for a carbon cashback to give more money to the public. There are real solutions to climate pollution that help us all.

Summit is far from being one of them. They will disrupt the land for a very small reduction of carbon emissions, all while taking in the taxpayer’s dollars who will fund Summit.

I implore everyone to speak up against Summit and the Iowan politicians pushing this agenda that only benefits a select few.

Jaiden Shahan

Ackley