Gas utility seeks land in Lafayette, Litchfield townships
“About 100 residents in Lafayette and Litchfield townships have received letters in the last week from Columbia Gas Transmission seeking to store natural gas beneath their property.
Columbia owns and operates 11 gas storage fields in Ohio, including the Wellington field that covers parts of Medina and Lorain counties.
Cavities between rock formations, left empty after gas is extracted through drilling, frequently are used to store natural gas extracted elsewhere. Gas is stored during low-usage times like summer and withdrawn when it is needed as temperatures drop.
The letter from Columbia says it intends to buy the land for $50 an acre and a one-time $200 incentive. It also says if the landowner does not respond by Friday, Columbia will “proceed with an alternative acquisition process pursuant to the Natural Gas Act.”
Lafayette Township Trustee Lynda Bowers said that means Columbia Gas plans to file a claim to obtain the easement through eminent domain, the legal process by which a public utility seizes private property for public or civic use.
Bowers said she’s worried landowners don’t know their rights and that the gas company was offering too little money.
“The case for eminent domain must be based on landowner’s refusal to negotiate,” she said. “If you offer them a ridiculously small amount of money and a ridiculously small amount of time, odds are they’re going to refuse.”
One man on Crow Road was offered $371 for his roughly 3.5 acres, she said.”
Pompill, Dan. Medina Gazette 25 July 2013.