TransCanada -- Guest Commentary from Landowner on the Pipeline

The Madville Times is a good county away from the proposed TransCanada pipeline route -- when it leaks or goes boom, I might not even notice.

So let's hear from someone a little closer to the route, Robert Hastings from up Britton way, who e-mailed me a copy of a letter he sent to Dusty Johnson and the PUC, with some emphasis added by yours truly.

[2007.12.03]

Hey Cory,

I am just about ready to call PUC and see if I have a hearing date and time. Too bad I'm such a NIMBY. What ever happened to caring about your neighbor, your land, state and nation? Is this what we get when we don't care about who grows our food and send them to town for jobs? A place where everyone is out for themselves and not caring anymore and also losing common sense. Why should anyone give up the rights to their land for what a company thinks it's worth. They want it forever in essence. That should be worth tremendously more than what they are offering. As I told Dustin in a letter e-mailed last week, some decisions once made can't be overturned. Ask the families of the two men who lost their lives in Minnesota. I'm sure when that line was built it wasn't supposed to leak either.


I'm not as good a writer as you but here is the letter. [I beg to differ, Bob. ---CAH]

Bob

Dear Mr. Johnson,

My name is Bob Hastings from Britton, SD. I am a farmer and rancher here. As I understand it this and any testimony that I may give won't be considered in your ruling because I was supposed to submit it earlier. That is my fault and am not going to complain about it. I hope however that you take the time to read this e-mail.

In looking and reading the submitted letters to the PUC I see a trend. I see the proponents are people who have somethng to gain, short term, from this project. While I will not be so arrogant to tell you you shouldn't listen to them I believe their desire to see this pipeline be built should not carry as much weight as the people who have to live with it the rest of their lives and in some cases their children.

There are several reasons I think that the process needs to be slowed down and have a look at the issues that have not been addressed. There are many and from the letters I've read some have been stated and some have not. From my perspective as a renter I have not been informed as to how I will be reimbursed. I have an alfalfa field that will be affected. As most farmers know that once you destroy a stand of alfalfa you can't replant it. There is a toxin that is put into the ground and you have to wait a fews years to replant. This will affect my herbicide program as well. Again I don't have any information, maybe you do, as to compensation for destroyed crops. Also of concern is compaction, especially as it has been so wet here. We donated some soil to the county to build up a low spot in the road back in the 90's. The soil was removed as Transcanada says they are going to do and we still do not have the production in that area. Also not addressed yet is who is responsible once the line is abandoned. I think that the easements should be for one pipeline and one only. I also believe that the easement should revert back to the landowner at no cost once the line has ended it's use. I believe that a better formula for figuring out value of the easement should be worked out. I know you can't do anything about how the current way Transcanada is handling easement payment- take it or see you in court- but it is my belief that you can influence legislation that could be proposed before you give your final descission on this project. What the specifics are that you can and can't use to determine the fate of this project are I am not up to speed but I believe you have the ability to use common sense and also the best interests of all the people involved to make your decision.

We have been asked to "trust" a company that hasn't built a line in a long time. We were also asked to "trust" Keystone that pipelines don't leak and they will do all they can to prevent it. All evidence to the contrary. This week a leak was being fixed when two men lost their lives on a crude oil line that I'm am sure wasn't going to leak. Trust is something that is earned over a period of time dealing fairly and openly with people. Again all evidence to the contrary with this company and project. If you didn't sign their easement your were sent papers to see you in court. Now they have asked that how they dealt with landowners not be allowed into testimony. WHY? Pipelines leak and had not the community that was affected this week in Minnesota taken it upon themselves to be ready to deal with this accident it would have been worse. I also believe that county commisions, ours included, have concerns that have not been addressed.

Who owns the buried line once it is done being used to transport crude oil? Landowner, townships, county, who? Can you imagine a person going down a gravel road at night and hitting the fallen in spot where the line had crossed? Who's responsible? A hunter is hunting my land and parks his pickup, unknowingly, over the line and it falls in, or he's walking for pheaseants and falls into the hole left when the line rusts away and leaves a void. Who's repsponsible?

If I am right that if I come out to give testimony and it can't be used, on the record, I hope that in some way you can see fit to see that all questions have not been answered and that there are issues that do need to be addressed.

I have many other issues that I feel need to be attended to but you have been more than generous with your time if you read this. All I ask really I guess is that you take as much time as necessary to make this decission. Some things can't be changed once a decission has been made. I'm sure the two men who died last week would agree.

Thank you,

Bob Hastings

Now seriously, Joel: does that sound like some environmental nut wallowing in emotion, or does that sound like a level-headed fellow South Dakotan looking out for his friends his neighbors and future generations? (Oh yeah, and you can read Mr. Hastings's response to Joel's country-club Republican TransCanada boosterism as well.)