HF639 would have tightened insurance requirements for pipeline operators, redefined “common carrier” status to limit eminent domain use—particularly affecting carbon-capture pipelines—and expanded who could intervene in Iowa Utilities Commission hearings, including legislators, local officials, and affected residents. The bill also introduced penalties for intervenors in contested cases and placed new limits on permits and renewals.

The Iowa State Senate passed HF639 on May 12, 2025 by a vote of 27 to 22. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because using eminent domain for private corporations violates the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, which protect property rights and due process. There is no constitutional authority for federal or state governments to regulate carbon storage or enforce climate-agenda policies. Such efforts advance the goals of the UN’s Agenda 2030, threatening individual liberty and state sovereignty. States should reject unconstitutional mandates and defend freedom, property rights, and self-governance.