CLAY COUNTY, Iowa (KCAU) — A Clay County judge has ruled an Iowa law unconstitutional and delivered a blow to companies seeking to build carbon-capture pipelines.

Navigator-Heartland has sued several Siouxland landowners in order to gain access to their property to survey for their proposed pipeline including Martin Koenig, who twice denied Navigator employees access.

Navigator claimed Iowa’s right of entry law means Koenig has to allow surveyors onto his land. Koenig’s counter-suit challenged the law. The district judge ruled the statute undermines Koenig’s right to exclude people from his property, and thus is unconstitutional.

Navigator has a similar lawsuit pending in Woodbury County but it remains to be seen what impact this ruling will have.