An Iowa Farmer Hopes G.O.P. Candidates Take on Carbon Pipeline

Hopefully the snow isn’t too deep. I’m 22 years old. I’m married and I have a wife. I do not have kids yet, and I’m a Republican. I voted for Trump in 2020. I just thought he was the strongest Republican candidate that had the best chance to win. I would say the issues that mean a lot to us don’t matter a whole lot in large-scale to the politicians. A big issue for farmers in this area and myself is the Summit Carbon Pipeline, which is a pipeline that will take carbon from ethanol plants through Iowa, through the Midwest, up to North Dakota. Summit is a private company used for private gain, not for public gain. Summit Carbon Pipeline and eminent domain has made me more passionate about certain issues. Our family has been farming forever. I mean, it’s always been a part of our lives. So this is the marker from, where it’s going to go, the pipeline. So this is the flag. It’ll come straight — this way is west. So it’s going to go west about 400 feet. It would be a half a mile from my home, my brother’s home, our operation, the money we put into that land to raise crops, to raise our families. The money proposed to pay us off for it would not cover that. “There is a reason, it’s not an accident, that the other Republican candidates haven’t talked about this issue. Companies should not be using eminent domain, period.” I think Vivek does a really good job being personal and answering those questions that mean a lot to the smaller communities. I would support him right now if I had to vote today. I do think he doesn’t have the backing as Trump and DeSantis, which is just the way politics kind of goes, sometimes. “You have my word we will not stop when we get to the White House.” I think the main point about eminent domain is if they do it once, where does it stop? And that’s a big thing around here, is if they put this pipeline through, where does that stop?