Real Estate & Property Law

Clearville Gas Drilling

By Alan Ackerman

Altoona Mirror

Ralph Blevins of Claysburg stood at a long table filled with materials on natural gas contracts and projects, picking up stacks of papers, skimming through them and trying to educate himself on what could happen to him in the near future.

Blevins has a gas and oil lease in Kimmel Township, Bedford County, and traveled to the tiny town south of Everett where landowners hosted an informational workshop Sunday to show others the struggles they have faced with a natural gas storage field project in their town.

''The information is overwhelming,'' Blevins said.

He was surrounded by several long tables piled with a chronological overview of the Clearville project, walls with large posters of information on natural gas company Spectra Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates projects such as the one in Bedford County. A couple of videos played in opposite corners of the room at the Monroe Township building.

Dick Eckman, who calls himself the Clearville ''self-appointed watchdog,'' was pleased to see a large turnout at the workshop.

This utility is getting killed by the media here. The reality is that it probably could care less. Apparently Spectra feels the Federal Court system bodes well for condemning authorities. This is not necessarily true, especially when a utility gets a little 'greedy' as is so apparent here.

Full post as published by National Eminent Domain Blog on November 10, 2008 (boomark / email).