Landowners in Wisconsin were introduced to the Wisconsin Easement Action Team (WEAT) during an informational meeting held in Waterloo, WI on September 13. About 35 landowners from Fort Atkinson, Waterloo, Columbus, Marshall, and the surrounding areas attended the meeting to learn more about the potential expansion of Enbridge Inc. pipelines and about how it could affect their property. One Fort Atkinson landowner said that:
"We live right beside the pipeline in Oakland Township, and we want to know everything that's going on."
While Enbridge has yet to announce plans to pursue an expansion project, the company began surveying land in 2014, which is why landowners opposing a potential expansion invited those attending the meeting to join WEAT. Mark Borchardt, a scientist working for the United States Department of Agriculture and Marshfiled landowner who lives along the pipeline’s current route, voiced his full support of the new organization:
“The Wisconsin Easement Action Team is our best shot [for opposing an expansion]. We're not going to go this alone. We can get enough landowners to say 'deal with us as a group, not individually.”
The group is modeled after the similarly named Nebraska Easement Action Team which successfully banded together to help stop the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline’s construction after a seven year legal battle. Attorney Brian Jorde, who represented the Nebraska property owners’ interests during that battle, is helping to organize this Wisconsin iteration.
“This isn't about convincing you of anything,” said Jorde. “"You want to be sure you’re informed. It affects you and your livelihood… It is not a stop-the-pipeline organization. This is specifically about landowner empowerment and what you can do to protect yourself. If this thing is coming, let's be prepared."
Enbridge’s current pipeline is 80 feet wide and traverses over 340 miles of land from Superior, WI all the way to border of Illinois. Even without an official announcement, experts place the value of their potential expansion through the middle of Wisconsin somewhere around $3 to $4 billion, and Borchardt estimates that approximately 2,000 property owners live along that stretch of land.
If you are a land owner living along the potential construction site or are simply interested in seeking more information on the project, we encourage you to visit the Wisconsin Easement Action Team’s website. If you are interested in contacting Attorney Brian Jorde or one of the other lawyers at Domina Law Group, you can fill out our online form or give us a call at (888) 387-4134.
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