Chesapeake trying to condemn 72-year-old woman’s land to put in gas pipeline

by PegNews wire

Mrs. Horton, for now, is fighting back against the energy giant. (Note: not actual photo of Jerry Horton)

The Associated Press reports that Chesapeake Energy may be up to its usual shenanigans again. Jerry Horton, 72 (a widow, no less), now faces condemnation proceedings after she refused a $12,987 offer to bury a gas pipeline beneath her property. With lawyer in tow, she claims that Chesapeake has not done enough to explore additional routes for the pipeline that will connect well sites along I-30 in Fort Worth. She worries that the pipeline will kill her oak trees.

One of the many questions arisen is that traditionally, a pipeline carrier, which in this case is Chesapeake subsidiary Texas Midstream Gas Services, can condemn land like any other utility company. Typically that right exists because the work is for the benefit of many. Lawyers specializing in these proceedings are now questioning whether this rule should apply, since in such cases the pipelines only serve a single company.

Posted by Erin

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jtmbls, says:

Well, surely they threw in a Chesapeake Charlie coloring book and some crayons. That seems like a fair trade.

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1 year, 4 months ago
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momzilla, says:

Chesapeake may have a tiger by the tail. Any woman who managed to brave the 80s and 90s at that particular location is pretty darned feisty. It's a pretty little neighborhood of unique old homes, but wedged there by I30@Beach where it intersects E. Lancaster ... well ... bet the lady has a shotgun under the bed.

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1 year, 4 months ago
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jtmbls, says:

If they have any sense at all they will just suck it up and work with this lady and around her property. There isn’t enough spin in the world to make this one look good.

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1 year, 4 months ago
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Scott Doyle, says:

I can't wait to be old and raise hell over my trees. More power to her, imo.

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1 year, 4 months ago
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momzilla, says:

Now, I'm no kind of civil engineer or anything, but on a drive-by of that area there appears to be plenty of room to run utilities alongside the freeway without interfering with anyone's home, business or access to the roads even temporarily. There is no access road between Beach and the next exit to the east (Brentwood Stair, I think?) Supposedly, the DOT is worried about safety of their workers who might have to do work along that stretch. Yet it's perfectly safe to put in the front yards of ten homeowners along Carter street.

It's just easier to bully a widow than the state. And Moncrief et all should be ashamed of how they treated this lady at the last council meeting. It was shameful.