Real Estate & Property Law

Keystone XL Threatens Nebraska Owners

By Alan Ackerman

Interestingly, TransCanada has chosen to go ahead and make offers, notifying those who do not accept within thirty days that the company will acquire by eminent domain. U.S. Senator Mike Johanns raised concerns about this procedure, and for good cause. Placing deadlines when one does not have a permit simply tells one that there is something wrong with the process.

Lincoln Journal Star

U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns raised concerns about TransCanada's tactics last week.

"Landowners tell me that TransCanada has set arbitrary deadlines for acceptance of payment offers," Johanns said in a prepared statement, "and threatened the use of eminent domain without so much as an approved permit to move forward with the project."

He called on TransCanada to "immediately lift any deadlines imposed on Nebraska landowners and to negotiate in good faith."

Prospects for approval actually took a step back last month when the Environmental Protection Agency called for more work on the proposed environmental impact statement and more time for inter-agency comment.

Since then, TransCanada has announced that it would drop its attempts to get a waiver to pump oil through the underground line at higher pressure than allowed by federal standard.

Full post as published by National Eminent Domain Blog on December 01, 2010 (boomark / email).