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July 31, 1999
Alliance pipeline work progressesProject has some farmers seeking damagesBy TONY ZIEBOL Journal Staff Writer NICOLLET COUNTY -- Since mid-May, Alliance Natural Gas workers have steadily dug trenches and put together pieces of a massive natural gas pipeline. Stretching for miles, from British Columbia to Chicago, the pipeline cuts through Nicollet County to Sibley County to Renville County and on. The miles of pipelin are almost as noticeable as the farmland it cuts through. However, behind the scenes, as many as 100 farmers have been fighting for their land rights for over two years. Farmers like Carey Remus of Winthrop. Remus has had to spend $35,000 to redo his tiling system because of the pipeline. He has settled with Alliance, but the damage has already been done. "We fought long and hard for Alliance to agree to work with us," Remus said. "I think they finally got the message. But it's a sad deal because our tiling system worked fine." Alliance has said the land will be taken care of, with no major damages, but Remus isn't so sure. Soil disruption, drainage problems and other dilemmas could still arise in the future, Remus said. "They're tearing the heart right out of the land," he said. "Alliance keeps saying everything will be back to normal. We don't think that'll ever happen. "We wouldn't treat the soil the way they treat it." According to Remus, he and Alliance never got anywhere in negotiations until the bulldozers were across the street and about to get on his property. "(The negotiations) could've worked a lot better a long time ago," he said. Jeff Majeski, Sibley County Environmental Services Director, admits it's not a perfect process, but said Alliance is doing the best they can. "There's a little bit of inconvenience out there, but (Alliance) wants to get along and be good neighbors." The 2,000 mile pipeline is one of the largest construction projects ever attempted in North America and eventually will extend from British Columbia to Chicago. Majeski said Alliance is both burying and welding 8,000 feet of pipe daily. He also said the company is on schedule and should be done in Sibley County by the end of August. The finished pipeline will deliver natural gas, as much as 1.325 billion cubic feet per day, to facilities that interconnect with five downstream delivery points in the North American pipeline grid. Service is scheduled to begin by Oct. 1, 2000. The federally-approved project gave the landowners involved no say in the operation, Remus said, adding that landowners have basically no rights in situations like these. "The federal government doesn't care what happens in Minnesota," he said. "It's not a pretty process for the landowners." Alliance employees could not be reached for comment, but Alliance Pipeline consultant Dennis Egger was quoted in the Winthrop News as saying, "Before construction started, there were a lot of hard feelings." "We've been able to meet with people with complaints and we've been able to do things to solve those problems," Eggers said. "We've established trust." At least half of the 100 farmers have reached a settlement with Alliance, Remus said.
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