DES MOINES, Iowa—With a number of high profile cases and due to the fact that the Iowa Utilities Board has some new members, a statement regarding the handling of contested cases was released Monday.

The monthly public meeting of the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 6, in the IUB Hearing Room. Following the meeting, the IUB will hold a status conference in Docket No. HLP-2021-0001, Summit Carbon Solutions’ petition for a hazardous liquid pipeline.

In advance of the status conference for the proposed Summit Carbon pipeline, the IUB is publicly clarifying the Board members’ role in contested cases.

When presiding over contested cases, Board members are legally bound by IUB procedures and review of the record created in a docket and through a formal hearing process. Fulfilling this duty, the Board members take on the function and responsibilities of a judge. The jurisdiction and powers of the IUB are guided by laws beyond the power of this body. The IUB is obligated to make well-reasoned decisions based on the evidence, testimony, exhibits, and written comments in the record of any case that comes before it. The Board members, by law, must set aside any personal beliefs, pressure from corporations or elected officials, and popular opinion to render decisions that are based on facts and law.

There is an unprecedented slate of issues before the IUB. Decisions will be difficult, but those decisions will follow the laws and administrative rules the IUB is charged with applying. 

The Board members of the IUB and the agency’s staff are dedicated to the delivery of well-reasoned decisions in a timely manner, no matter how difficult.  

(contributed press release, IUB)