Saturday, August 28, 2010
Associated Press
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.
After negotiating for a decade, Dominion Transmission is suing nine property owners who refuse to sell oil and gas rights the company says it needs to protect natural gas stored in a large underground reservoir in West Virginia.
The defendants are in five states — West Virginia, Ohio, Texas, Louisiana and Alabama — and have minority interests in the oil and gas under a combined 136 acres near Buck Run in Lewis County.
It’s “very, very rare” to sue individuals under federal condemnation laws, but after 10 years and successful deals with more than 99 percent of the other property owners, the company had no choice, said Dominion spokesman Dan Donovan.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.