NWIowa.com: Antipipeline litigation has 'power in numbers'

by Elijah Helton
Aug 20, 2022

“Brian Jorde is the main attorney for a group of landowners united against the pipeline. “There’s power in numbers with other like-minded, concerned Iowa landowners,” Jorde told NWIowa.com.

“We have to mass up and group together to try to fight against the power of the political machine and the millions and millions of dollars they can throw around to buy people off.”

“…Jorde is the managing partner of Domina Law Firm in Omaha, NE. He’s been monitoring Summit’s activities in jurisdictions across the Midwest. Jorde argued that Summit is trying to brute force its way along with its political and financial connections. “They are using taxpayer dollars to steal legal rights and property rights away from landowners. That’s who they are and that’s what they’re doing, and it’s got to stop,” Jorde told NWIowa.com…

“Like most folks against the pipeline, Jorde simply doesn’t buy it. To him, it’s just an unnecessary land grab without the consent of people who stand to make a vanishingly small return on a potential easement. Put simply, the lawyer said people should stick up for their property rights. “Get busy and get busy and get active, and we’ll help everyone through that process,” Jorde told NWIowa.com.

It’s been about a year since the carbon pipeline saga started in Iowa. From the beginning, activist groups have warned landowners — even if they’re merely uncertain about an easement — not to sign anything from corporations. The project is moving slowly, Jorde told NWIowa.com, and getting an agreement with Summit surrenders future leverage.

“There’s no rush, and there’s no urgency. These companies have no permits in any state that are required,” he told NWIowa.com. “We’re in the very beginning stages, so why would you sign anything?”