Two Iowa counties and officials in those counties filed a petition for writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of an appellate court decision that ruled that federal law preempted their local laws regulating carbon dioxide pipelines. The petition presented the question of “[w]hether a state or local law regulating the location or routing of an interstate pipeline is a preempted ‘safety standard’ under the Pipeline Safety Act when a court concludes that the law was primarily motivated by safety concerns.”

Lawsuit challenging Iowa county's ordinance regulating hazardous liquid pipelines.

Shelby County v. Couser

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Iowa Counties Asked Supreme Court to Consider Whether Federal Law Preempts Local Regulation of Carbon Dioxide Pipelines

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Iowa Counties Asked Supreme Court to Consider Whether Federal Law Preempts Local Regulation of Carbon Dioxide Pipelines

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Finance