Lee County officials have been notified that Navigator CO2 Ventures is temporarily stopping its push to put a CO2 pipeline through Iowa, but Supervisor Garry Seyb says impacted landowners should continue to be vigilant in their efforts to protect their property rights.

At Lee County Supervisors’ meeting Monday, Seyb read portions of an email officials received from from Percheron, an acquisition and permitting contractor for Navigator, stating the project is being postponed temporarily.

Christina Kibel, a regulatory agent for Percheron, wrote that Navigator has “postponed all acquisitions and permits in Iowa until further notice.”

Seyb said her email stated Navigator has not officially shut down the entire project, but elected to pause various aspects until a later date, and that the company still plans to build the pipeline at some point in the future.

He said Navigator has closed their office, ceased land acquisition efforts, and assigned agents to other projects.

“They are definitely taking a serious pause but I would urge everyone that has dog in that fight to remind vigilant, I guess,’ Seyb said at Monday’s meeting.

The pipeline has faced an an onslaught of opposition from affected landowners, some of whom threatened with eminent domain proceedings to place the pipeline on their land without their consent, as well as from environmental groups and property rights advocates.

Among those with “a dog in the fight” and repeatedly voicing opposition to the CO2 Pipeline project, are Andrew and Amber Johnson that own just over 200 acres on the outskirts of West Point. The proposed route for the CO2 pipeline was to go through their land, with a portion of it coming within 375 feet of their home.

The couple has attended many of the Iowa Utility Board’s hearings on the project and opposed it. They have refused to voluntarily grant permission for use of their land and were threatened with the use of eminent domain from the onset of the project.

Andrew Johnson said Monday he is “cautiously optimistic” and believes the public resistance to the project played a significant role in the company’s decision to pause operations.

“I think there was such resistance that they didn’t expect, not just here but in North Dakota, South Dakota.”

He said he and Amber plan to follow Seyb’s advice and continue efforts to oppose the CO2 pipeline as well as to lobby against the use of eminent domain.

“I will continue to email and continue to support any official and person seeking elected office that is opposed to the use of eminent domain,” he said.

While he is pleased about Navigator’s decision to temporarily cease operations, Johnson says he won’t rest easy until the idea is abandoned once and for all.

“What would put my mind at ease is if the ethanol and fertilizer plants would say they will be using an alternative method to get their CO2 so that a pipeline won’t be needed now or in the future.”