We previously wrote about the possiblity of eminent domain to make way for the Bluegrass Pipeline. The Oklahoma-based pipeline company behind the proposed Bluegrass Pipeline has announced that it will not proceed with that pipeline “at this time.” Previously, the pipeline company had considered using eminent domain to procure the land needed for the controversial pipeline. A circuit court in Kentucky ruled that the Bluegrass Pipeline could not use eminent domain to secure private land on which to build the pipeline.
The pipeline was planned to stretch 1,153 miles from eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia to the gulf coast for processing and exportation. The pipeline would have included 500 miles of new pipeline in Ohio and Kentucky. The reason given for the halt was “insufficient customer commitments.” The pipeline company denied that the intense grass-roots opposition to the pipeline in Kentucky was a factor in its decision to abandon the pipeline.
Company representatives stated that the need for the pipeline is growing but said the project appeared to be “ahead of its time.”
While plans for the Bluegrass Pipeline ground to a halt, Ohio based Cobra Pipeline Company announced plans to construct a new 300 mile long pipeline. The proposed pipeline is 30 inches wide and would be placed four feet underground and will primarily follow an existing Columbia Pipeline. The Cobra pipeline would connect to other major pipelines in the state.
As the natural gas boom from the Marcellus and Utica shale fields in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania continues, Ohio will likely be the site of additional transmission pipelines and related facilities. Property owners who own real estate impacted by construction of pipelines have rights. If you own property and believe that a pipeline or utility company may construct a pipeline on your land, you should contact the Ohio eminent domain attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List.