Senate approves bill limiting greenhouse-gas liability after heated floor debate

The Iowa Senate on March 24 approved House File 2527, a bill that limits civil and criminal liability tied to alleged harms from greenhouse-gas emissions, after a floor debate that included an adopted amendment and a substitution from the Senate file.

Senator Shipley, the senator from Adams, described the measure as placing the burden of proof on plaintiffs who bring civil or criminal claims alleging climate-related injury, and said the bill ensures defendants operating within permit limits can continue to operate. "As long as they're within the bounds of their permit, they are, good to operate," Shipley said in closing remarks.

Senator Stade, the senator from Lynn, delivered an extended floor objection, saying the bill would "shield corporate polluters" and make it "extraordinarily difficult" for communities and individuals to hold large-scale industrial emitters accountable. "Iowans who are harmed by air pollution deserve their day in court," Stade said, arguing the bill shifts the burden away from those creating the pollution and toward people living with its consequences.

Floor action included adoption of Senate Amendment 50 59, a strike-after amendment explained by Shipley that broadened the bill's definitions of agricultural and petroleum sources. Shipley then asked unanimous consent to substitute House File 2527 for Senate File 24 27; the substitute was ordered without objection.

The Senate took a roll-call vote on final passage; partial recorded votes in the roll call showed Senators Knox, Reichman, Webster, Green and Whitver voting aye. The secretary announced the tally as 33 yeas and 13 nays, and the bill was declared passed and the title agreed to. After passage, the sponsor requested and received unanimous consent to withdraw the corresponding Senate file and to immediately message House File 2527 to the House.

What happens next: With passage in the Senate, House File 2527 will be sent to the House (messaged) and, depending on the House's disposition, could proceed to the governor for final action. The Senate record shows the bill advanced on a 33–13 vote and was sent to the House on the same day.