TransCanada and Landowners Settle -- Break out the Backhoes

South Dakota landowners' battle with TransCanada over eminent domain appears to be ending with a whimper rather than a bang: Ben Dunsmoor reported Friday that the lawyers have reached a settlement that obviates the need for the court hearing that was scheduled to begin today up in Marshall County. No one is trumpeting details of the deal yet -- I looked around the rest of the press, the blogs, even the TransCanada website, and found no other mention of the settlement. (Perhaps the TransCanada lawyers trolling the Madville Times will do me the favor of forwarding me the settlement documents.) Let's hope TransCanada finally agreed to treat our landowners like partners and give them fair market value for the land TransCanada will be tearing up and taking out of production for years to come.

Some folks are still fighting the Keystone beasty. First Nation tribes in Canada are offering some legal challenges to the project, and U.S. tribes are arguing that the State Department failed to fulfill its obligation to consult with them in the pipeline permit process. North Dakota's Save Our Soil is circulating petitions for a ballot initiative for rerouting of the pipeline at least six miles away from vital lakes and aquifers.

But TransCanada has already begun turning dirt on the Keystone pipeline in Alberta. The company is clearing land and delivering pipe in North Dakota, and the courts and regulators seem inclined to keep doing TransCanada's bidding. Get ready for the backhoes -- Big Oil is a-comin'.