Monday, October 15, 2012

Natural Gas, Pipelines, Eminent Domain, and... Ohio?

In Texas, there is a current debate over the possibility and likelihood of a natural gas company declaring eminent domain over land needed to bury pipeline "for the public good".

So, what does that have to with Ohio? Well, they have some pipeline planned for Ohio, too, though the construction phase a couple to a few years away. (Expect more than one new pipeline passing through Ohio.) But, basically, if they decide your land is in the path they need for the new natural gas pipelines, yes, they can take your land by invoking eminent domain, and there will belittle you can do to fight it.

While you wouldn't think it would be a Republican/Democrat issue if it's really for "the greater good", one potentially high-ranking Republican, Paul Ryan, has already jumped on board the pipeline issue (though in this case he's referring to the Keystone Pipeline, but don't worry, others will come) and is pushing buttons to get voters primed so they won't fight the issue.

Oh, I almost forgot to add, in comparison to the fracking process used to get the natural gas out of the ground, and the brine dumped back in the ground and on roads, the pipelines are considered relatively benign.

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