Rockies Express Pipeline

The website says there will be no tapping the line for home usage because the pressure is too high. Seems the least they could give us but no such luck.

According to a different article, they will compensate up to 50% of the value of the land.

Yeah I know we will get some money but you also lose the right to do with your land what you want and what you might have bought it for. In that 50' you aren't allowed to put a pool or a pond, plant a tree, put a structure and other restrictions. Are they going to pay off my house or just toss me a couple of thousands of dollars and say too bad.

Bury some landmines and call it a explosives-seeking dog training ground. 'Lose' the map. :P

That sucks, though.

I guess I'll know more tomorrow but 50% of the land value isn't much if it becomes unusable in the way you wanted. And if they tear down my little woods, I won't have any trees. I'm not 1/4 mile away, the proposed path cuts right through my 2 acres.

That's why eminent domain needs to be eliminated. They should have to pay whatever price you want or go someplace else.

One thing to be careful of here is that often times the "assessed value" is kept artificially low to keep people from complaining about it and the related property taxes.

Good luck. I can see the value of emminent domain, but the potential for abuse is certainly huge. Determining fair compensation is the challenge, perhaps you and your neighboors can work out a deal with a local attorney to represent all of you together for a reduced rate?

Matthew

It probably would be a good idea to hire an attorney. There will be higher taxes on the property and the company is to pay them and a lot of other promises have been made but who's to say they will be kept. I've talked to others that have had water lines and such go through and more times than not, things don't turn out as well as they are supposed to.

Found out some more tonight. My land is going to be surveyed in the next month and after the survey is done from the ground the actual pipeline route will be determined. As it is now, I will lose the woods. They have a permanent 50' easement that they pay 100% of the land value for, a temporary 125' construction easement that they pay you 50% value for. As for the trees they pay for them and then you can sell them off and make double the money. Construction doesn't begin for 2 years so they aren't saying anything about a dollar amount at this point or exactly how the land value is paid, if it's by foot ot acre or what. The whole thing just sucks.

A group of people were passing out fliers about a meeting next month on the dangers of the gas pipeline and how many people have died from gas explosions. That meeting should be interesting.

When the time comes you should definitly hire an appraiser to get a value of the land. Their legal department will be strong, but if you present a appraisal which includes the loss of value to the remaining land, you've got a much better chance of them deciding it's not worth it to fight you. Loosing the wooded view from your house is worth more than loosing woods that are miles away from anything. They can say they'll compensate you for 100% of the value, but the person who decides the value is the one who will come out ahead. Of course, they may decide that it's cheaper to fight a few cases fully even if it costs them more money, as they may want to scare other people from trying.

Matthew