NEXUS Pipe Goes to Court to Gain Easements on 42 Ohio Properties

NEXUS Pipeline has had to use the unpreferred last option and has taken landowners of 42 properties to court using eminent domain in order to secure easements so they can lay pipeline through those properties. NEXUS is a $2 billion, 255-mile interstate pipeline that will run from Ohio through Michigan and eventually to the Dawn Hub in Ontario, Canada. NEXUS received final approval for the project from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in August, the first major pipeline to get approved following a newly restored quorum at FERC (see New FERC Quorum Votes Final Approval for NEXUS Pipeline). In early October, FERC gave NEXUS permission to begin construction (see NEXUS Cleared to Begin Construction, Rover Cleared to Restart HDD). While 97% of the landowners along the proposed route have signed easements for the pipeline, a few have not. The landowners NEXUS has taken to court (so far) are in Ohio, in Stark, Summit, Wayne, Medina, Lorain, Sandusky, Wood and Erie counties. Yes, there are still a few lawsuits hanging out there, including a lawsuit by Green, OH and one by the Coalition to Reroute Nexus (CORN). However, it seems unlikely the lawsuits will stop the project. Here’s the unfortunate news about NEXUS suing a few holdouts…