Mitchell County residents press supervisors to adopt setback zoning for proposed CO2 pipeline

Mitchell County residents urged the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to pass a setback and zoning ordinance aimed at limiting where a proposed CO2 hazardous liquid pipeline could be sited.

Pat Mackin, a retired naval engineer and Mitchell County resident, told the board he and other petitioners delivered 513 county signatures asking supervisors to pass a setback ordinance similar to a half‑mile separation ordinance passed by Worth County. "We are asking you to adopt a setback in zoning ordinance for hazardous liquid pipelines in Mitchell County by 03/10/2026," Mackin said, citing economic, public‑safety and landowner concerns.

Mike Gertz, who said the pipeline route would pass about 4 miles from his home, argued against the use of eminent domain for a private company and described long‑term restoration and crop‑damage worries: "A private company should not be able to steal my land to enrich themselves," he said, adding that inspection regimes often protect the pipeline infrastructure rather than residents.

Ashley Swim urged supervisors to exercise local authority and pointed to the Iowa State Association of Counties for guidance. She recommended the board use Worth County's ordinance as a model and noted that separation requirements there protect schools, churches, hospitals, public parks and occupied structures with a half‑mile minimum distance.

Public comment amplified those concerns. Penny Morris and online commenter Lisa Ritzer said zoning is not a ban but a mechanism to require public hearings, transparency and siting conditions. Ritzer asked, "Without a zoning ordinance, what is the Mitchell County Board of Supervisors plan to protect and preserve the county?" She also noted Summit Carbon Solutions representatives were present online.

Supervisors did not adopt a final ordinance at the meeting. After discussion about process, timing and the need for planning and zoning input, the board voted to ask the planning and zoning commission to draft a hazardous liquid pipeline setback/zoning ordinance and placed the item on next week's agenda for further consideration. One supervisor said they were "not prepared to pass" an ordinance that day, while others urged following the correct procedural steps.

The request to planning and zoning is the board's next procedural step; no ordinance language was adopted and no formal setback distance was settled. The board referenced recent legal and regulatory context during discussion, including that the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) and state lawmakers determine eminent domain and siting at the state level, and that other Iowa counties have pursued local setback measures.

The supervisors will review planning and zoning’s draft when it is completed; the board scheduled continued consideration for the next meeting.