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20150521-5039 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 5/21/2015 8:39:07 AM
May 21,2015
Scott D. and Mona L. Bartholomew Bartholomew Farms 4 Bartholomew
Road Millville, P A 17846
[email protected]
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, N .E. D
Washington, D.C. 20426
Attention: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary
Reference: Atlantic Sunrise Project, FERC Docket No. CP15-138
Proposed route change on lands of Scott D. Bartholomew and Mona L.
Bartholomew CPL South Pipeline, RIW # PA-C0-175.000, Tax Map#
27,01-014-00,000 Orange Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The purpose of this letter is to file comments and request a
change of the location of the referenced pipeline as it crosses our
referenced property. The original pipeline route, as proposed in
the summer of2014, was recently changed due to the selection of the
C.S. #610 compressor station site on lands of Irvin Martenas which
adjoins our farm in Orange Township, Columbia County, P A. The
revised pipeline route will have a devastating effect on the future
use of our property for continued agricultural operations, future
poultry/egg production building sites, and future development of
residential building sites. Attached are two plats. Exhibit "A"
depicts our farm, the original pipeline route, the revised pipeline
route, two options for alternative pipeline routes and future
building lots that would be impacted by the pipeline. Exhibit "B"
is an aerial view of our farm which depicts the layout of our
farming operation, crop fields, the poultry/egg production building
and the revised pipeline route.
In May, 2014, we were contacted by Universal Field Services, as
agent for Williams j Transcontinental Pipe Line Company, LLC
(Transco) to request permission to conduct surveys for the proposed
Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Project.
The original route is labeled "Original Route" on attached
Exhibit "A". The Original Route crosses about six hundred (600)
feet of wooded land at the northwest corner of our farm. The
Original Route avoided all high value farm fields, poultry/egg
production building sites and road frontage with future real estate
development potential. We felt the Original Pipeline route was in a
good location and we granted permission to conduct surveys for
pipeline.
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20150521-5039 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 5/21/2015 8:39:07 AM
Transco selected a compressor station site (C.S. 610 Site) on
the neighboring Martenas property and negotiated an option to
purchase the compressor station site in September, 2014.
Transco made no further contact with us to discuss any revised
pipeline route location or to secure permission to survey a revised
route to connect the pipeline with the compressor station site on
the neighboring Martenas property.
On April 20, 2015, a Right of Way Agent for Universal Field
Services met with us to discuss granting an easement for the
proposed pipeline. The agent provided the proposed easement
agreements with a plat depicting a totally revised pipeline route.
The pipeline route is depicted on Exhibit "A" as "Revised Route".
This was the first time we became aware of a revised pipeline
route.
We were shocked to learn the original pipeline route that
initially crossed a six hundred foot long wooded strip in the
northwest corner of the farm was revised to bisect the farm and
adversely affect over 2,600 feet of prime farm land with at least
three future poultry /egg production building sites; two future
building lots, one on each side of the pipeline crossing of
Bartholomew Road; another two future building lots, one on each
side of the pipeline crossing of Welliversville Road; as well as up
to ten future building lots with one hundred (100) feet of frontage
each, on the south side ofWelliversville Road where the Revised
Route extends parallel to and within three hundred feet
ofWelliversville Road.
Based on the location of the Revised Route, as depicted on the
attached Exhibit "A" it is obvious that the pipeline route will
seriously damage the value of the real estate's best and highest
use, which is future poultry jegg production building sites or
prime residential building lots along Bartholomew and
Welliversville Roads.
The Landowner's Family has owned and farmed the property since
1952 and the farm has been sold to the next generation for the past
three generations. Each generation selling to the next generation
so the former owner could receive fair market value for the farm
and enjoy retirement. Siting the proposed pipeline at the Revised
Route location will damage the real estate development value of the
farm; which, in turn, will adversely impact our retirement
plans.
It is unfortunate that Transco did not attempt to discuss the
revised route with us prior to the FERC Filing. The agent explained
the route and the consideration are both non-negotiable because the
route has been submitted to FERC. During the second meeting with
the right of way agent on May 5, 2015, the agent was advised that
the revised route and offered consideration for the easement were
unacceptable and the agent was requested to ask Transco to
reconsider the route location to follow the north and west property
lines, or to increase the offer consideration to account for the
excessive damage to the value of future building lots.
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20150521-5039 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 5/21/2015 8:39:07 AM
Option 1 Route By paralleling our north property line from the
northwest corner of the compressor station site, at MP112.6, to a
point that intercepts the original route, labeled "Option 1 Route"
on Exhibit ''A'', then continuing southwest to the Diltz property
on the original route, there would be less damage to both
agricultural land and future building lots as would occur with the
Revised Route pipeline location.
Option 2 Route If Transco is unable to justify the reconnection
to the Original Route required by Option 1, then a reasonable
alternative would be to depart from the Original Route at our west
property line, then continue southward along and parallel to our
west property line crossing Welliversville Road, then intercepting
the Revised Route where it enters the Diltz property south
ofWelliversville Road. The alternative route is labeled "Option 2
Route" and depicted on Exhibit "A". There would be damage to the
value of an additional two road frontage lots on Welliversville
Road. Again, there would be less damage to both agricultural land
and future building lots as would occur with the Revised Route
pipeline location.
Further, we were astonished when the agent discussed the
financial terms of the offer and advised that the $6,000.00 per
acre early signing incentive, being thirty percent (30%) of the
permanent easement offer, would be withdrawn if the easement was
not signed within sixty days of the initial meeting on April 20,
2015. This deadline places additional stress on our decision making
process and leaves us with the impression that neither the route
nor the consideration will be changed to accommodate our concerns.
Due to the June 20, 2015 deadline, we will be faced with
considering a substantially lesser amount if we delay the
decision.
During the abovementioned meetings, we were in the midst of our
busiest time of year, being the corn and soybean planting season.
It was difficult to set appointments, but the agent was able to
meet with us during a rain day when we took a break while
maintaining the planting equipment.
On May 13, the agent contacted us to follow up on the questions
raised during the May 5 meeting regarding the request to change the
pipeline route or increase the consideration to account for the
value of the future building lots. The agent advised that Transco
would not change the pipeline route nor increase the consideration
to account for damage to the value of the future building lots.
Furthermore, the agent adamantly insisted that Transco only
considers the current land use, rather than the best and highest
value land use. It is unfortunate that Trans co will not consider
the best and highest value of the property, being for future
building lots.
As we tried to understand the rationale behind Transco's
reluctance to change the pipeline route and refusal to increase the
consideration, we asked the agent ifTransco is paying any greater
amounts for easements on building lots or commercial properties in
other areas of the pipeline project, such as the crossing location
of US Route 11 south of Bloomsburg. The agent explained the same
values are applied to all properties, and Transco is not
changing
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20150521-5039 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 5/21/2015 8:39:07 AM
the value of any offers. It is unsettling to know that Transco's
opinion of the value of our property, being high value agricultural
property with future development potential, is no different than
low value waste land. If this is the case, then we will need to
secure legal assistance, at considerable expense, to argue that our
farm land with future residential development sites has a higher
value than waste land. This seems unfair.
In an effort to reach an acceptable compromise, we hereby
propose an alternate pipeline route, depicted as "Option 1" on
Exhibit "A". Option 1 connects the compressor station site to the
original route. Option 1 is entirely on our property.
In the event that Transco is unable to justify reconsidering the
original pipeline route, then we hereby propose a second alternate
pipeline route, depicted as "Option 2" on Exhibit "A". Option 2
connects the original route at the northwest corner of our property
to the point where the revised route enters the Diltz property on
the south side ofWelliversville Road.
Both Options 1 and 2 involve damage to the value of road
frontage building lots and it would be expected that Transco would
be able to justify an increased offer to account for the damage to
the value of future subdivided building lots.
The Option 1 and Option 2 pipeline routes would have less impact
on our agricultural property and less impact on future building
lots.
Thank you for considering our concerns.
Respectfully submitted,
~~br----. Scott D. Bartholomew
Mona L. Bartholomew
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20150521-5039 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 5/21/2015 8:39:07 AM
I
' \ \
'
0 600 1,200 1,800
----- SCALE IN FEET
LEGEND
PIPELINE
- !i'. - PROPERTY BOUNDARY
c=.-=:.J AREA OF PERMANENT RIGHT OF WAY L~ AREA OF TEMPORARY
WORKSPACE
EXHIBIT "A"
~ AREA OF ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY WORKSPACE
ru
I
r:-;-::r..; V/000 GROUP ':( .;;:! liUSTAIIG, III C.
2635 FEET
149.94 ACRES
3.02 ACRES
3.09 ACRES
1.27 ACRES
Uole: (1) Propeny lloundari!S shown t~ro b:&t;cd on
county
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20150521-5039 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 5/21/2015 8:39:07 AM
Printed 4/16/15
Williams Atlantic Sunrise
1 : 7122 400m
lOOOft AND 2010 NAVTEQ 2015 Microsoft Corporation Earthstar
Geographies SIO Image courtesy of USGS
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Document Content(s)
FERC
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20150521-5039 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 5/21/2015 8:39:07 AM
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