Eminent domain update: Rover Pipeline, LLC has released updated maps showing the proposed route of the planned Rover Pipeline.
The Rover Pipeline is a new interstate pipeline designed to transport natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica Shale areas in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The $4.3 billion 711 mile long pipeline will transport 3.25 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily. The pipeline will traverse Ohio from the east, passing through Monroe, Noble, Belmont, Harrison, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Stark, Wayne, Ashland, Richland, Crawford, Seneca, Hancock, Wood, Henry, Defiance and Fulton Counties before entering Michigan. In addition, compression stations are planned in Noble, Belmont, Harrison, Tuscarawas, Wayne, Crawford and Defiance counties.
On February 23 2015, the pipeline company filed a formal request with the Federal Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. If the FERC grants the certificate of necessity, as it is expected to do, Rover would have the authority to use eminent domain to acquire easements from landowners who do not reach an agreement with the pipeline company.
Landowners who will be impacted by this pipeline, as well as other Ohio pipelines that are in the planning stages, have legal rights. While the landowners may not be able to avoid having their property taken, they are entitled to receive fair compensation for the property, including diminished value. Because of the public’s perception that gas lines are extremely dangerous, the presence of a gas line can have a negative impact on the value of the property.
If you are a landowner and you have been notified that this pipeline, or any other pipeline, may cross your property, the Ohio eminent domain attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List may be able to help you obtain maximum compensation.