WRIGHT COUNTY, IOWA (WHO) — Residents in Wright County wonder what happened to House File 565 after a second year Iowa Senate Republicans failed to take up the legislation on the chamber floor.

“Well it appears that the senate especially at the statehouse and our beloved governor has turned their heads,” said Robert Ritter, a Wright County Property Owner. “…If you don’t grease the wheels with a little money you don’t get to talk to people.”

“I am also disappointed in the governor in the fact that she hasn’t said to the Senate, ‘hey this needs to be brought to the floor, you have been elected to a position to represent the people so let’s do our job’,” said Dean Kluss, Wright County District 2 Supervisor, (R).

The bill failed to see a subcommittee when the chair, Iowa State Senator Mike Bousselot (R), from Ankeny said it was too late in the second funnel to advance it, with all the differing opinions

Wright County has the most pipeline in the ground for Summit Carbon Solutions. Kluss said that 48% of the county has signed easements for their land, and 52% of those along the route have not signed.

“When we got approached the first time he and I had a nice long talk,” said Betty Ellis, a Wright County property owner. “…we felt that the control we would have on it, yes it’ll be ours, it’ll just have an easement over it, but the easement is one that will last forever.”

Some property owners think 90% voluntary easements before the use of eminent domain is a start. But they also want property owner’s rights to be respected and they believe that the Summit Carbon Solutions go too far with a permanent easement; and the ability to have access to the owner’s land whenever the company needs to get to the pipeline.

“We do want to continue to fight it. We will go all the way to the eminent domain, we will go all the way to the eminent domain, we are not going to sign an easement. And I think the company is aware of that at this point,” said Ellis