Pipeline opponents rally outside federal regulator conference in Des Moines
DES MOINES, IOWA - Iowans from across the state rallied outside of the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Materials Administration’s (PHMSA) conference in Des Moines. The meeting was scheduled at the request of an alliance of 30 groups representing Indigenous communities, landowners, sustainable agriculture, public health, social justice and climate organizations to receive public input on an ongoing federal safety rulemaking for CO2 pipelines.
PHMSA told attendees that it would take at least another year in order to create safety regulations for CO2 pipelines.
Organizers of the rally demanded that:
President Biden enact a federal moratorium on carbon pipelines
PHMSA urge states to issue a moratorium on CO2 pipelines
PHMSA create the strongest regulations for CO2 pipelines possible
The rally comes after PHMSA issued the second largest fine in its history to a CO2 pipeline that was responsible for a disastrous rupture in Satartia, Mississippi that hospitalized over 40 people and harmed many more.
"Why are we even considering permits for Summit, Navigator, and Wolf when PHMSA is on the record saying they need more time to study these dangerous projects? These three companies cannot prematurely promise safety before they even know what safety standards are," said Berleen Wobeter, an Iowa CCI member from Tama County. "A moratorium on CO2 pipelines is a common sense solution to protect our communities."
“Carbon Capture and Storage is dangerous, unproven technology,” said Mahmud Fitil, the Land Defense Organizer for Great Plains Action Society. “It’s a greenwashed scheme for profiteers to get rich off government tax subsidies rather than a solution to the climate emergency that Iowans deserve. As Indigenous people we remain committed to the water, the land and the future generations.”
“Carbon capture pipelines pose a clear threat to Iowans’ health and safety,” said Food & Water Watch Senior Iowa Organizer John Aspray. “We can’t allow pipeline profiteers to build these dangerous boondoggles through our backyards, against our will, without robust safety regulations to keep us safe. It is crucial that the Biden administration put a moratorium on carbon pipeline permitting now — before it’s too late.”
