By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the regular meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 12, lengthy consideration was held regarding the possibility of the county adopting an ordinance to address hazardous pipelines. Tim Whipple from the firm of Ahlers and Cooney addressed the supervisors regarding the possibility of creating a hazardous pipeline ordinance for Guthrie County.
“What authority do counties have?” Supervisor Brian Johnson asked.
Whipple cautioned that he cannot give the supervisors a clear answer as to whether or not such an ordinance would be enforceable and effective in addressing the concerns within the county. Local authority may be superseded by the State.
“We just don’t have an answer to that yet,” Whipple said.
Whipple said he believes some other counties are waiting to see what happens with Bremer’s County’s litigation regarding Phase 2 of the CO2 pipeline plan.
“Right now, it looks like Bremer County is going to be our best friend,” Supervisor Maggie Armstrong said.
The supervisors voted to begin the process of creating a draft of a proposed ordinance on this issue.
A special meeting of the supervisors will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13 to canvass the election results. The next regular meeting of the supervisors will be Tuesday, Nov. 18. The public is welcome to attend in person or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#.