DES MOINES, Iowa — A bill aimed at setting new standards for pipelines and future electricity transmission lines as well as wind farms and solar panels is among several bills facing a deadline. The bills must be approved by an Iowa House or Senate committee by the end of this week or be set aside for the year.
Republican Sen. Dennis Guth of Climey says one goal of his bill is to ensure that companies that install pipelines and electrical generating facilities on farmland are held accountable when problems — such as sinkholes — arise long into the future.
Guth's bill would require all pipelines and any underground transmission lines to be buried at least eight feet deep to ensure proper drainage through the tile lines.
Gov. Reynolds said she is open to changing the state's regulations for pipeline permits in the future, but says it would be unfair to change the rules for carbon pipeline developers Summit and Wolf. Guth's bill is not retroactive.
Earlier this month, the Senate GOP leader said there was no consensus among the Senate's 34 Republican senators on a bill related to the pipeline.
