Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King says he’s hearing from landowners who’re complaining the government’s “eminent domain” authority has been used to seize their private property for the Bakken oil pipeline that’s being built through his district.

King is not opposed to construction of the pipeline, but suggests Iowa officials should have decided whether the pipeline was “a public utility” before granting developers permission to seize property for the project.
King’s Democratic opponent, Kim Weaver of Sheldon, does not support the pipeline.

The underground pipeline will ship crude oil from North Dakota, through South Dakota and diagonally through 18 Iowa counties enroute to a refinery in Illinois. Company officials notified the Iowa Utilities Board that nearly 60 percent of the pipeline work in Iowa had been completed by October 9th. Federal authorities have joined local officials to investigate a recent arson fire that destroyed about two million dollars’ worth of pipeline equipment positioned in Jasper County.