Court rejects Columbia Gas pipeline’s request for eminent domain
Thursday, May 5, 2022
Columbia Gas of Ohio’s request for eminent domain to install a pipeline through preserved farmland was rejected by the Union County Court of Common Pleas last week, according to Farm and Dairy.
However, the ruling, issued April 26, left the door open for eminent domain action in the future, noting the ag easements were not enough to prevent it.
Combining two cases: Columbia Gas of Ohio vs. Patrick Bailey et al., and Columbia Gas of Ohio vs. Don Bailey Jr., successor trustee of the Arno Renner Trust, Judge Mark S. O’Connor dismissed the petitions and encouraged further mediation.
O’Connor’s ruling was based on an inconsistency between the easement language approved by the Ohio Power Siting Board and what was presented to the court.
Learn more: Farm and Dairy > Union County court rejects pipeline eminent domain
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Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
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What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
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Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.