Dealing With Pipelines in Michigan
Dealing with pipelines in Michigan and other States may be somewhat similar.
Oil pipelines are deemed necessary by our Federal and many State governments because the safe and efficient transportation of oil to refineries is required if we are to have enough gas and oil to support our uses. Clearly, landowners would prefer if the pipelines traversed properties owned by someone else. However, the pipeline companies are somewhat limited in where pipelines may be placed by the natural environment as well as the basic expense.
Most of the owners who will face pipeline acquisition will find that they are located in ex-urban or rural areas. If pipelines are far from their houses, the perceived damage to the property may be somewhat minimized. However, if the pipelines are near residences or outbuildings, the damages can be substantial.
One thing that owners may do is seek to have the pipeline companies enter the property by borings, meaning directionally boring the pipeline route under the property without disrupting the surface of the property or affecting the vegetation on the property. The first thing an owner should do when facing a pipeline is likely to simply ask that the pipeline be moved somewhere else. When the absolute “no” response is given, the owner should then request boring, in order to minimize the damage to the property.
This does not mean just compensation will not be paid, but it be reduced if the impacts are minimized. Further, pipeline routing has its own system of valuation, which will frequently require the outside expertise of appraisers and lawyers.
