SC landowners sue over natural gas pipeline surveys. Here’s what to know
A Lowcountry property owner has filed a class action lawsuit against Elba Express, seeking to block the pipeline company from surveying private land for a proposed 71-mile natural gas line. The case could represent as many as 94 South Carolina landowners resisting the project.
FULL STORY: Power vs. property: SC landowners fight back against energy company over pipeline
Here are key takeaways:
Lois Tuten Stratos filed the class action suit July 8 against Elba Express, a Kinder Morgan subsidiary, which has filed about 100 cases in South Carolina court seeking access to survey private property.
The proposed $431 million pipeline would run from Screven County, Georgia, to Canadys in Colleton County, serving a planned 2,200-megawatt natural gas plant intended to support future growth in South Carolina.
Badge Humphries, the attorney representing Stratos, said granting survey access is “the first step in losing your property,” arguing landowners lose their ability to exclude the company once surveyors walk the land.
Kinder Morgan spokesman Allen Fore said actually visiting properties produces information that geographic information systems cannot provide, and site visits can help route the pipeline away from areas important to owners.
Attorneys for landowners argue Elba Express cannot use eminent domain because it lacks a certificate from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The company expects to file its FERC application early next year.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
