Iowa senator accused Republican leadership of ‘bullying tactics and threats’ over eminent domain vote

A Republican state senator is raising the alarm about his own party leaders retaliating against him after he joined an effort to force a vote on regulating carbon pipeline projects.

A Republican state senator is raising the alarm about his own party leaders retaliating against him after he joined an effort to force a vote on regulating carbon pipeline projects.

In an email obtained by Iowa Starting Line, Republican state Sen. Mark Lofgren of Muscatine accused state Sen. Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs and Senate leadership of using “bullying tactics and threats” to retaliate against he and other lawmakers who forced a vote on a bill restricting eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. 

Lofgren was among the 12 Republican senators who were holding up all budget bills until the Senate passed House File 639, a bill that limits the ability of private carbon pipeline projects to use eminent domain. 

Lofgren sent his email Tuesday morning, writing that Dawson and others were scrapping bills he was working on over the incident. 

Shortly after it hit the inboxes of members in both chambers, Dawson shouted at Lofgren from the Senate floor, “What the fuck did you think would happen next?” Dawson then stormed out. 

‘A vengeful way of doing business’

Lofgren’s email details two instances of alleged vindictive treatment from Senate leaders after the standoff. Lofgren wrote that he’d been working on a firefighter benefits bill “all session,” and he’d expected to manage the bill on the floor of the Senate. 

“However, today, when this bill is brought before the Senate it will be Senator Dickey who serves as the floor manager. Hmmm…,” Lofgren wrote.

State Sen. Adrian Dickey of Packwood is a volunteer firefighter, and he claimed in a January column in the Oskaloosa News to have been working on the bill for the past five years. 

Lofgren also alleged state Sen. Dan Dawson told him bills he’d worked on wouldn’t advance because of Lofgren’s “involvement in standing up against my own party on the pipeline bill.”

Iowa Starting Line reached out to Dawson for comment. He did not respond immediately.

“I find this to be a very vengeful way of doing business and am sure the general public would be appalled that our state government is being run using bullying tactics and threats,” Lofgren wrote.

Months of GOP division over pipelines

The allegations come after a bitter fight over the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, which would transport liquified carbon dioxide from ethanol plants across five states to underground storage in North Dakota using thousands miles of pipes. In order for the project to move forward, it would have required extensive use of eminent domain.

This year, protesters opposing the use of eminent domain for the pipelines have made weekly appearances at the capitol lobbying the legislature. 

Before the Iowa Legislature can adjourn, it has to pass a budget for state government. But leading up to session’s end, 12 Republican senators stalled the session, refusing to vote on budget bills until the eminent domain legislation received a floor vote. The standoff pushed the session into overtime, meaning while they have to show up for votes they no longer receive per diem payments to cover food and lodging. 

The eminent domain fight exposed philosophical divisions within Iowa’s Republican Party between economic development supporters and property rights defenders.

Republican state Sen. Mike Bousselot of Ankeny, who previously worked for Summit’s parent company, called the House version of the bill “a Trojan horse” from “environmental extremists.” But rural Republicans and landowner advocates viewed this use of eminent domain for a private pipeline project as government overreach.

The Senate voted 27-22 Monday night to pass the restrictions, with 12 Republicans joining all Democrats in support.

The legislation now awaits Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature or veto. Her office said this week that she is “reviewing the bill.” 

Summit’s co-founder, Bruce Rastetter, has been a major donor to Reynolds over the years. From 2015 to 2025, he donated more than $176,000 to the Kim Reynolds for Iowa campaign committee, according to state campaign disclosure reports.

Lofgren’s letter

Below is the full text of Lofgren’s letter.

Dear Fellow Colleagues of the Senate and the House,

I know you are all busy trying to finish up the last few days of session, but I wanted to take a moment to share with you the disrespect and backlash that some members of the Senate are now being given all because of standing up for the property rights of lowans. As some of you may know, l’ve worked on the LOSAP bill all session, from subcommittee at its beginning to running it through the Appropriations Committee, and I have met with stakeholders on this bill on numerous occasions. However, today, when this bill is brought before the Senate it will be Senator Dickey who serves as the floor manager. Hmmm…

Additionally, bills and issues that I’ve worked on that many developers across the state care about, will not be brought forward for debate as per Senator Dawson as he pointed upward to the Senate offices and stated, “because of my involvement in standing up against my own party on the pipeline/eminent domain bill.” This is of course a paraphrase of how he said this, but the meaning was clear, and it demonstrates that he and others in leadership feel that this is okay behavior.

I find this to be a very vengeful way of doing business and am sure the general public would be appalled that our state government is being run using bullying tactics and threats. The dangling carrot has not worked and has only served to disappoint and anger me more.

I know we can’t add this to the standing bill this year, but maybe we need to have an ethics course for legislators in the future. I have the utmost respect for most all of you, and I hope we can do better in the future. May God bless you all during your interim break.

Best regards,

 

Mark Lofgren
State Senator