MinnCan Pipeline LTE in the McLeod County Chronicle@

The McLeod County Chronicle, a Glencoe based paper, has a LTE on the pipeline now too! Thus far, the MCC is the only local weekly to cover the pipeline.

Check out these facts.

MinnCan's crude oil pipeline severely impacts the lives of over 1,000 property owners in Minnesota, by taking their land and offering to pay pennies on the dollar for their property loss.

The MinnCan pipeline will bring more than 165,000 barrels of oil per day
across these properties, and create a risk of oil spills in our rich agricultural lands. Such a spill happened recently in Little Falls, where a different Koch pipeline ruptured spilling more than 134,000 gallons and permanently contaminated the land.

See my previous posts for a history of the environmental injustice that Koch Industries has spread across the United States.

The best part of this, it's not just a rant with no end in sight. The authors actually have an action the readers can take.

"Buy the Farm" gives property owners the option to require proposers of high-voltage transmission lines to purchase their entire property rather than just an easement. The new law would simply extend this option to land owners that are affected by large crude oil pipelines.

We believe that this is a fair and reasonable option that enhances the rights of property owners who will be negatively impacted on a permanent basis because they were chosen to "host" the pipeline's route. It also will become a viable tool in every property owner's toolbox for constructing a fair settlement with the proposer.

This statute is directly in line with the overwhelmingly public support of eminent domain limits. While the recent eminent domain legislation unfortunately did not affect these types of utility takings, the above bill will bring some power back to Minnesota landowners who are impacted by utility development.

It ought to be supported by the Minnesota Farm Bureau and other farmer and environmentally friendly organizations across the state.

I have contacted my legislators on this...time to call yours! Get them to support the "Buy the Farm-Pipeline Act".

Make Representative Shimanski's phone ring and ring until he offers this bill.