Editorials: Bad form for GOP

Iowa Republicans resorted to the most extreme tactic to preserve their hold on all four congressional seats. They were so scared of losing in two of those races that they knocked the Libertarian Party candidates off the ballot. By a 2-1 vote last week, the State Objection Panel ruled that Libertarian candidates could not be on the ballot because precinct caucuses were held during the state convention.

Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird said state law clearly does not allow delegates to be seated the same day as precinct caucuses. Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate went along. State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, said the GOP did not have standing to challenge the nominations because it was not part of the Libertarian nominating process. He also noted that the State Objection Panel is not supposed to judge convention processes but nomination papers.

The Libertarian Party said it will appeal to district court. If unsuccessful, it will stage write-in campaigns for its candidates.

The Republicans appear spooked into anti-democratic reactions. They face strong challenges especially in the first and third congressional districts. House Democrats just announced $2.5 million in ad buys for Christina Bohannan and Lanon Baccam. Republican incumbents believe margins are so tight that they must chase legitimate candidates out of the election. Libertarians drain votes from Republicans.

Libertarians will write in their own candidate or vote for the Democrat out of spite. They will vote. They are not the sort to sit home and take it.

It’s bad form for Republicans. Auditor Sand looks like a champion among true conservatives. It tells us that they are alarmed about losing those two seats and control of the US House. Democrats are reenergized in Des Moines. Labor is simmering in Davenport. Republicans are trying every trick to hang on to single-party control of Iowa in a swiftly changing political current. They are telling people that they want to snuff out civic involvement through political participation. That’s a losing strategy.

Pipeline hold-ups

Despite permit approval by Iowa regulators last week, it is not assured that the Summit carbon pipeline will be laid. The Iowa Utilities Commission seldom has seen a pipeline it didn’t love, so it was safe to assume clear sailing in the Tall Corn State. All the political elite in Iowa have been on board. The ethanol industry claims that the pipelines are vital for renewable fuels.

South Dakota and North Dakota have different ideas. There, courts and commissions have held up the pipeline plans. Just before the Iowa commission granted a construction permit, pending approval by South Dakota and North Dakota, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled that landowners may object to eminent domain property takings because Summit has not shown that carbon dioxide is a commodity under common carrier rules. If not a common carrier, Summit has no eminent domain authority in South Dakota. Local opposition is strong in North Dakota, where some counties are blocking the route.

Summit said it would respond to the South Dakota court’s ruling. Other states have determined CO2 to be a commodity. In this case, 57 ethanol plants in Iowa would ship carbon dioxide to fracking holes in North Dakota for underground storage. At stake are federal tax credits for carbon sequestration.

The South Dakota case was remanded to lower courts, where arguments will be heard over eminent domain authority for carbon dioxide pipelines. A verdict is subject to further appeal. This could go on awhile, as the politics of carbon tax credits changes. After the courts get done, there might not be much to claw over.

Summit says it is reaching out to opposing interests in hopes of moving forward. Getting construction permits in Iowa is a big step. Political opposition appears to be building, instead of moving in favor of pipelines and their dependent industries. Pipeline debate is causing a serious breach in Republican politics in Northwest Iowa. It is creating allies between Democrats and Libertarians (see above) that can have surprising repercussions. Permit approval in Des Moines was hardly the last word in this long slog. Everything depends on what happens in South Dakota and North Dakota.