Reynolds, Rastetter emails on attempted meetings filed in Iowa carbon-capture pipeline case

A voluminous collection of emails between Bruce Rastetter, the prominent Iowa businessman behind a proposed carbon capture pipeline across the state, Gov. Kim Reynolds and their employees are among records filed in connection with the ongoing Iowa Utilities Board hearing on a permit for the project.

Attorney Brian Jorde, representing Iowa property owners who oppose the pipeline, obtained the emails through a public records request.

The emails show that:

• On Jan. 14, 2019, Rastetter’s assistant reached out to Reynolds’ scheduler to see if Reynolds would have time for dinner. They tried several times to arrange dinner in February, March and April, but the dates didn’t work out.

• On April 24, 2019, Rastetter’s office invited Reynolds to a June 18 barbecue benefitting Iowa State University at his home in Alden. Reynolds was unable to attend.

• On July 27, 2019, Reynolds spoke at Rastetter’s summer party at his home. Reynolds was unable to attend an investor event before the party, with speakers Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and current Republican presidential candidate, and Doug Oberhelman, former CEO of Caterpillar Inc.

• In October and November 2019, schedulers for Rastetter and Reynolds unsuccessfully tried to plan a dinner for the two. Rastetter would like "to schedule regular dinners with her as schedule allows," Rastetter's scheduler said. Reynolds canceled a Nov. 5 dinner so she could vote in Osceola, her hometown, where she served 14 years as the Clarke County treasurer.

• On Feb. 11, 2020, Rastetter's scheduler requested a call from Reynolds Chief of Staff Sara Craig and received it the next day. About the same time, Reynolds’ office told Rastetter’s assistant it would look for a time when Reynolds could meet with Rastetter. “I know we are overdue for getting a dinner on the calendar,” a representative of Reynolds’ office said.

• On March 20, 2020: Rastetter’s assistant canceled lunch as Reynolds began issuing proclamations that would shut down businesses, schools and churches to contain COVID-19’s spread. “We’ll revisit once this crisis has passed,” Reynolds’ scheduler wrote.

• On June 22, 2020, Reynolds’ scheduler emailed Rastetter’s office, saying the governor “mentioned to me that Bruce was wanting to meet with her soon.” They tried to schedule a lunch at the Capitol on June 23, but the slot was taken with another meeting. Rastetter’s scheduler then asked, “Is there any availability yet this week with Governor, Bruce would like to meet with her if at all possible.” Rastetter’s scheduler asked for a call with Reynolds’ assistant.

• Also on June 22, Rastetter canceled his July 25 investor day and summer party. “Even as Iowa and the rest of the country begin to reopen, we do not feel at this time that it makes sense to host a large gathering,” Rastetter said in an email to Reynolds and other invitees.

• On July 7, 2020, Rastetter and Reynolds met for lunch at Bubba’s in Des Moines.

• On Sept. 28, 2020, Rastetter invited Reynolds to his summer BBQ along with other state executives, including Paul Trombino, then Reynolds’ chief operating officer; Paige Thorson, deputy COO; Joel Anderson, a tax policy adviser; and Daniel Wolter, senior adviser, among others. It’s unclear who attended.

• On Oct. 7, 2020, Rastetter invited Reynolds to watch the Iowa State University vs. Texas Tech game from his suite in ISU's Jack Trice Stadium. It was unclear if she attended.

• On April 12, 2021, Justin Kirchhoff, who is now CEO of Rastetter's Summit Agricultural Group, reached out to Taryn Frideres, then Reynolds’ chief operating officer, connecting her with Patrice Lahlum, then a Great Plains Institute program consultant who was spearheading a multi-state memorandum of understanding for carbon dioxide transport. “We have been working with GPI for some time as they are doing some great work around low carbon biofuels and carbon capture that we believe can be great for states such as Iowa,” Kirchhoff emailed Frideres, now Reynolds’ chief of staff. The email came a little less than two months after Summit announced it was spinning off Summit Carbon Solutions, the company now seeking the pipeline permit, and about a month after the new company hired former Gov. Terry Branstad, with whom Reynolds had served as lieutenant governor.

• On May 13, 2021, Summit’s scheduler emailed Reynolds’ new scheduler, saying Rastetter would like to schedule lunch with Reynolds. The lunch was held July 16 at Terrace Hill, the governor’s mansion in Des Moines.

• On June 22, 2021, Reynolds announced she'd created a Carbon Sequestration Task Force, whose mission included "discussing economic opportunities presented by carbon sequestration for Iowa's agriculture economy and renewable fuel sector and how best to capitalize on them." Reynolds led the 22-member task force that included Kirchhoff and Geri Huser, then chair of the Iowa Utilities Board, along with renewable fuel, agriculture and energy executives, farmers and economic development officials.

• On Sept. 22, 2021, Summit's scheduler said Rastetter would like to schedule lunch with Reynolds. The lunch was held Sept. 30 at Terrace Hill.

• On Jan. 19, 2022, Summit's scheduler reached out to a new scheduler for Reynolds to set up a lunch. “We try to do this quarterly depending on their busy schedules,” the Summit scheduler wrote.

• On Jan. 26, 2022, Reynolds’ assistant emailed Summit's office, saying Reynolds would be unable to attend a fundraiser Rastetter was holding for Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley at his barn on Jan. 28 because of a visitation Reynolds was attending. Reynolds’ scheduler warned that she might not be able to schedule a lunch with Rastetter in February or March. On Feb. 8, Reynolds’ office said it could be April before she had time for lunch with Rastetter, since it was the height of the legislative session.

• On March 15, 2022, Jeffrey Boeyink, a partner at LS2 Group, emailed Craig, Reynolds’ then chief of staff, with an update on progress in getting voluntary easements from landowners in the path of Summit’s pipeline in Iowa. Boeyink, who served as chief of staff to Branstad and Reynolds from 2011 to 2013, called the pipeline a “pro-ethanol, pro-agriculture project” and estimated that Summit Carbon would be able to reach voluntary agreements with 90% of the landowners, a goal that the company so far has fallen short of in Iowa. Boeyink also said his "team would be happy to host a meeting with legislators to discuss the project in person and in detail."

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Here are the Reynolds-Rastetter emails filed in Summit pipeline case