Real Estate & Property Law

Transmission Lines Come to Oklahoma

By Alan Ackerman

    Oklahoma farmers are being told that the development of wind energy will require transmission lines through the communities.  Logically, this is an arguably 'clean' form of energy and will be a great help to our environment.  It even calls itself 'Clean Line' to impress upon us how clean it is.
    The comments that the condemnor simply desires to inform landowners of what is happening in such a 'fair' fashion leads one to believe that once the Oklahoma corporation commission provides the Clean Line company public utility status, the owners will be running to Bob Nichols, a nationally respected eminent domain attorney located in Oklahoma for protection and just compensation.

EnidNews.com

According to Mario Hurtado, Clean Line vice president for development, having a dialogue with landowners to allow them a say in plans for its transmission lines project is one of the company's goals.

Hurtado and other Clean Line officials have been going to communities in northwest Oklahoma talking to officials about their plans. They were in Woodward and Enid Wednesday.
However,  the company has taken a step forward and applied to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for public utility status, Hurtado said.

If the company is awarded public utility status, it would have the power of eminent domain, which it could use to acquire land rights for the transmission lines.

Full post as published by National Eminent Domain Blog on August 24, 2010 (boomark / email).