Statement: Appeal Against Iowa Utilities Board to Be Heard Wednesday by Iowa Supreme Court
Earlier today, September 12, the Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments from landowners and environmental activists in their appeal claiming the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) wrongfully granted eminent domain for the construction of the now-completed Dakota Access Pipeline. Before permitting the pipeline in 2016, IUB conducted 18 public informational meetings and 12 days of public hearings, heard from 43 interveners and nearly 70 witnesses, and reviewed hundreds of pages of testimony and public comments.
Following is a quote from the GAIN Coalition, which you can attribute to me, Craig Stevens, spokesman for the Coalition:
Today’s hearing was yet another attempt by anti-energy activists to bog down our courts in an attempt to thwart critical infrastructure projects. Iowa is one of the most energy intensive states in our nation – in large part because of its agricultural sector which feeds millions of people around the world – so the state directly benefits from the development of regional energy resources. Regulatory certainty is key to investment in modern development and we fully expect that Iowa Utilities Board’s exhaustive review will continue to withstand judicial scrutiny and the Iowa Supreme Court will reaffirm the rulings of the lower courts.
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