Gas Line in Southern Richland County
The organization OPORR, Ohioans Protecting Our Resources and Rights, is fighting an attempt by Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. to take control of property rights in southern Richland County.
The group held a public awareness meeting Thursday night at the Clear Fork Adult Center to discuss Columbia's proposal to expand its Weaver Gas Storage Field to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The expansion encompasses 3,000 acres plus a protective boundary of 9,000 acres of land. OPORR President Van Wade said property owners may lose control of their land to the company through eminent domain which could result in a financial loss to property owners.
Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. said the proposal seeks no change in the volume of gas to be stored in the field and no new wells or pipeline facilities. Columbia says the sole purpose of the request is to protect the natural gas that it stores in the field for its customers.
-The utility does not raise a safety issue. It is hard to imagine the need for an expanded take premised upon the comments of the attached article. It will be interesting to see what the utility provides to the Ohio Public Utilities Commission as the basis for its need to affect the title to so many acres of privately owned land.
The owners in the affected area have done an unbelievable job of uniting in their opposition to the project. One need only look to the website established by the aggrieved owners at www.oporr.com in order to find how to protect individual rights by making a community effort to propound a reasonable position.
