Sierra Club Responds to Terry Branstad’s False Accusations
Sierra Club and its work on the carbon dioxide pipelines work was recently attacked in a letter written by former Governor Terry Branstad that was sent to all of the landowners whose land will be taken for an easement for the Summit carbon dioxide pipeline.
"I am proud to be working with the Sierra Club because they are the first group to help us organize to protect our farms which have been in our families for a very long time in most cases. I don’t appreciate Summit and Branstad trying to control the narrative the way they are doing. I also don’t appreciate the marketing mail I have received from Summit when they refuse to make the landowner lists public. At the present time, we have no way to organize on our own, and Summit is trying to use that to their advantage. Shame on them!" said Lori O'Brien, landowner from Plymouth County.
“The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club has been active in Iowa since the 1970’s and we will continue working to protect Iowa’s land, water quality, air quality, and parks and recreation areas”, said Jess Mazour, Conservation Program Coordinator with the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club has a long history of protecting landowners from the destruction caused by pipelines. One only has to fly over the path of the Dakota Access pipeline to realize that years after the pipeline was constructed, the farms still have not returned to their full productive use. Five years later, you can still trace the pipeline route. Since the land was not restored to its full productive value, that will reduce the land values. It is the action of the construction which reduces farm values – mixing of soil horizons, compaction, changing and interfering with the normal flow of groundwater.
Summit Carbon is trying to keep landowners from working together, organizing, and exchanging ideas. In fact, Summit has now gone to court to keep the landowners' names from being shared. All the while Summit has now sent a mailing to all landowners in their project path telling them that Sierra Club would be lying to them and intimidating them. This is what psychologists call projection – taking your own bad actions and attributing them to someone else.
In fact, landowners have filed numerous complaints with the Utilities Board about the deplorable behavior exhibited by Summit’s land agents, including bullying and intimidation.
Although Branstad claims that the landowners will be partners with Summit, the reality is that no royalty payments will be given to the landowners for each ton of carbon flowing through the pipeline. They will not be sharing in the profits of Summit, as one would expect, even though their land is absolutely essential for the carbon pipeline project. For that, the landowners are expected to give an easement, and will be dictated to concerning how they can use their own land in the easement. Summit needs our land and our money to make their private profits.
Sierra Club stands firm in its stance against the carbon pipelines and encourages all landowners not to sign easements.
Quotes:
“The difference is the for profit company Branstad represents is saying, “shut up, trust us, sign away your rights to your own land.” The non-profit is saying “landowners you have a choice. And by banding together you also have a voice.” It’s about money for Branstad’s employers; it is not about the good of the farmer. The only people coming out in support of the pipeline are those that stand to profit off it. It is not green or the environmentalists wouldn’t be opposed to it and it’s not for the farmers or they wouldn’t be opposed to it. Branstad is no longer an elected official but a paid spokesman. He went from representing Iowans to representing his employer”. Said Mike Ossian, landowner from Clinton County.
“I appreciate the Sierra Club’s support of farmers in this fight against Summit. Taking my land without my consent is WRONG on every level”, said Dan Wahl, farmer and landowner from Dickinson County.
Gordon Garrison, farmer and landowner from Emmet County stated, “I am grateful that a civic minded organization, like the Sierra Club of Iowa, has stepped forward to help Iowa landowners protect what they hold dear – their private property rights. Branstad and Summit Carbon Solutions wish to take our private property for their private gain.”
“Sierra Club has been a valuable resource to help me learn and become aware of a network of many landowners who share my concern for the damage to our land and the danger to our communities these pipelines will cause”. Stated James Fetrow, Cerro Gordo County landowner.
"Summit’s Senior Policy Advisor Terry Branstad, a self-professed longtime friend of Summit’s CEO Bruce Rastetter, is promoting Summit’s hazardous pipeline through Iowa. Mr. Branstad is with a project which will threaten eminent domain on voters who supported him. The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club will not profit from this project. I will show them the respect they deserve by listening to the information they are providing. It would be foolish not to." Said Deb Lavalle, Landowner in Hardin County.
"I feel that the Sierra Club is assisting Iowa landowners in defending their property against the Iowa Utilities Board and Summit Carbon Solutions who are attempting to take away our rights. The Sierra Club is looking out for the citizens of our state against those who wish to deny us access to owner information, which affects our ability to organize as a group." Said Lori Goth, landowner in Dickinson County.
My name is Dana Arndorfer. I am a Iowa landowner/ farmer. Together with our group of farmers/landowners we stand hand in hand with the Sierra club to stop Summit/ Branstad from taking our land with their forever easement.
I am proud to be working with the Sierra Club in regard to the fight against the Summit and Navigator CO2 pipeline. As I have been more involved it doesn’t matter whether I am a member or not, the Sierra Club is supporting the landowners and their rights. As well as providing information that the large corporation chooses not to provide. It feels as though the Sierra Club is one of the people/ groups that is looking out for the landowner, not the corporation trying to profit on those landowners. There is absolutely no way my wife or I will ever sign an easement. Mitch Magill, landowner in Iowa County.
Gerry and Jodie Bredlow, landowners in Hancock County Iowa. If it wasn’t for the Sierra Club of Iowa proactively helping us landowners to resist the bullying of Summit Carbon Solutions we’d be completely helpless. The Sierra Club is providing meaningful helpful guidance, as we can’t do this alone. Thank you Sierra Club! Summit Carbon Solutions is using their money, power, influence with politicians along with intimidation of landowners to benefit a few (themselves) while misleading the public. Summit Carbon Solution is NOT a utility and does not provide any benefit to anyone but themselves yet the Iowa Utilities Board is assisting them with leeway to pursue their self serving venture all on the backs of Iowa landowners. Summit Carbon Solutions MUST BE STOPPED!
Marian & Keith Kuper, Landowners in Hardin County - As an American owner of farmland, I’m proud to be working with Sierra Club on behalf of Iowa landowners who are being railroaded into signing away many of their private property rights right now by deep-pocketed pipeline companies like Bruce Rastetter’s Summit Carbon Solutions LLC and Texas-based Navigator Ventures LLC. Those companies and their shareholders stand to make billions of dollars in tax credits, marketable carbon credits and CO2 sales if they can just get Iowa landowners to fork over what the companies don’t already own — access to, and the right to bury dangerous CO2 pipelines in, landowners’ property. We’ve looked into the idea. It makes no sense from an economic, or an agronomic, or a safety, or an environmental point of view. Any boost it would give to the corn ethanol industry is temporary. Ethanol has yet to stand on its own anyway, heavily subsidized as it is. The companies could sell or lease the easements, if we grant them, to other companies and even other governments. We tried to say a simple, “No, thank you.” The companies’ response? They’re trying to browbeat us, at Christmastime! No means no, Mr. Branstad. We suggest you find a different employer than Bruce Rastetter, if our position angers your boss. He needs to learn that he cannot have everything he wants.
Vickie Beck, Landowner in Dickinson County. Our family farm is in the Summit pipeline proposed route. We are totally against the pipeline for numerous reasons. The Sierra Club has been a wonderful resource to helping many families stop the pipeline. They have an interest in protecting our farmland. The pipeline is a threat to the fertility, compaction of soils, the contamination of our wetlands, streams, aquifers and the lakes of Iowa.[our farm is in the watershed district of Big Spirit Lake] and helping stop eminent domain for a private company. The Sierra Club is looking out for all of Iowa farms and farmers. We are proud to be working with the Sierra Club.
As an Iowa landowner, I’m opposed to the CO2 Sequestration Pipeline, on the basis of violation of my individual rights. This is not a political fight, but a constitutional one. And Sierra Club is organizing us to win that battle, not because of political party affiliation, or social positions regarding climate change, but on the basis of individual rights. Kathrine Truxall, landowner in Emmet County