On June, 21st, 2016, the Bakken Pipeline Resistance Coalition joined with Boone and Story County landowners to host a press conference at the farm of Dick and Judy Lamb in rural Boone County. The Lambs called for Iowans to stand with them in contesting government overreach in taking their farmland.
The Lamb farm has been in their family since the 1870s, and their farm operators have farmed the land for three generations. The Lambs have joined other central Iowa landowners in a lawsuit against the Iowa Utilities Board in an effort to protect their land and livelihood from the construction of the Bakken crude oil pipeline being pushed by Dakota Access, an out-of-state for-profit corporation.
Story County landowner Arlene Bates speaks at June 21 press conference. Photo: Hannah Dankbar
Dick Lamb explained that the pipeline threatens the livelihood of Iowa’s landowners and farmers: “We feel betrayed by our own state government. The role of government is to protect the citizens form the abuses of corporations. In this case, our government is not only failing to protect us, it’s actually enabling the corporation to take advantage of us. Thanks to the Iowa Utilities Board, an out-of-state corporation providing no services to Iowans now has authority to seize our land–among the most productive in the world–to tear it up for a dirty fossil fuel technology that we should leaving behind. This pipeline is an environmental disaster waiting to happen, and it’s happening due to government at its worst.”
Story County landowner Arlene Bates emphasized that this abuse of eminent domain sets a dangerous precedent for our state: “Is this the message we want to send, Iowans? That our land is open to be taken?”
Donnielle Wanatee, of Tama and the Meskwaki nation, called upon the US Army Corps to do their job and spoke in solidarity with the landowners’ struggle: “The Lambs of Boone, Iowa are fighting this pipeline alongside other Iowans and we Meskwakis join this battle with them. It is up to the Army Corps of Engineers to deny this permit and fight for our great-grandchildrens’ right to safe, clean water in Iowa and we ask them to follow Federal laws.”
Additional speakers included other area landowners and community activists calling upon the US Army Corps to deny Dakota Access’s request for permits to cross dozens of rivers and waterways and to stop the pipeline.
Check out some press from the day!
Landowners rally to challenge eminent domain, Bakken pipeline