Couser v. Emmet County

Filing Date: 2023
Case Categories:
Principal Laws:
Pipeline Safety Act, Supremacy Clause, Iowa Constitution, Iowa Hazardous Liquid Pipelines and Storage Facilities Statute
Description: Lawsuit brought by a developer of an interstate carbon dioxide pipeline and a farmer and part-owner of an ethanol production facility to challenge a county ordinance concerning pipeline permitting and safety.
  • Couser v. Emmet County
    Docket number(s): 3:23-cv-03007
    Court/Admin Entity: N.D. Iowa
    Case Documents:
    Filing Date Type File Action Taken Summary
    03/28/2023 Complaint Download Complaint filed. Lawsuit Challenged County Ordinance Regulating Carbon Dioxide Pipelines. The developer of an interstate carbon dioxide pipeline and a farmer and part-owner of an ethanol production facility challenged a county ordinance concerning pipeline permitting and safety. They argued that that ordinance was preempted by the federal Pipeline Safety Act and Iowa’s hazardous liquid pipelines and storage facilities statute. These plaintiffs previously challenged another county’s law regulating the pipeline.