Pipeline Easement Questions

[JMKro]

We found out a few days ago that a pipeline company is wanting to put an easement through our property (gas pipeline). The seller we bought the property from owns the mineral rights. Does he have any say on whether or not the pipeline comes through our property, or is that the surface owner's decision? Also, if the final decision is that the easement will go through our property, how much say does the surface owner have in deciding where the easement is located?

[oktx]

The former land owner has no say. This is surface rights. I would welcome them in. The more agreeable you are the more you will get.

[Big pig]

You need to study eminent domain rights quickly.
And meet your neighbors and find out what’s going on in the area.

Good luck.

[JMKro]

The former land owner has no say. This is surface rights. I would welcome them in. The more agreeable you are the more you will get.

The downfall is we have a small property, so we already don't have a whole lot of room to work with as it is. But, I guess it depends on what kind of offer we get ($$$).

[oktx]

The downfall is we have a small property, so we already don't have a whole lot of room to work with as it is. But, I guess it depends on what kind of offer we get ($$$).

They will low ball you at first. Talk to other land owners on what they were paid. They put one through my landowners place right at the start of bow season. They were working on Saturdays and Sundays, running dozers while I was trying to hunt. I called the land owner and told him and he had the weekend work stopped. The company apologized.

I'm not up on all the eminent domain, but I know if you dig your heels in you will get less. ie gates, cattle guards, roads and the like.

[bowhunting1]

As someone with two oil lines, one gas line, one electric line and one water line running through my property and taking up over 25 acres in easements I would hold out and try to get as much money as you can. That's about all you can do. I've always held out and received good money but when they cut your land up as much as they have mine it makes it hard to sell to developers. It sucks!!

[JMKro]

How willing are they to move the path of the easement based on where the landowner wants it to go (within reason)? Also, let's say the easement is going to run north/south. If you say you don't want it on your property, and your neighbor to the east gives them the green light, would they typically just go around you to save the headache of dealing with someone who is pushing back?

[Pineywoods Paul]

Easements like that can be huge assets. I own ~300 acres in east Texas pineywoods. I bought it partly because it had nearly a mile long pipeline and Powerline right-of-way going through it. It already had three box blinds on it and was a great feature for my main purpose- hunting. It gets mowed annually by utility companies and it’s also the best road I have traversing from south-north completely through my property. I’ve never had any issue with with either power company or gas company. But I’m probably a rare case because I just bought the place for deer hunting and timber investment.

[S-3 Ranch]

Easements like that can be huge assets. I own ~300 acres in east Texas pineywoods. I bought it partly because it had nearly a mile long pipeline and Powerline right-of-way going through it. It already had three box blinds on it and was a great feature for my main purpose- hunting. It gets mowed annually by utility companies and it’s also the best road I have traversing from south-north completely through my property. I’ve never had any issue with with either power company or gas company. But I’m probably a rare case because I just bought the place for deer hunting and timber investment.

I totally agree, I personally like pipelines, if you form a good relationship with them , they are a asset, if you are a jerk about things they will reciprocate
Example. On a ranch I ran in Webb county it had multiple pipelines and one was always in disrepair and overgrown, bad roads, ect , the rancher had been a jerk to that company and kinda bullied them , he learned his lessons and the other pipelines where beautifully maintained and if we ever needed anything or they the same.

[JMKro]

What's different for us is that we don't have a whole lot of trees/cover to begin with, so an easement is going to lessen it even more. It's not the end of the world, it's just more of the whole, "What are the chances?" kind of thing. I'd say as of right now, our biggest concern is having some sort of say in where the easement goes. The current projected path goes straight through a new pond we had completed about a month ago, and the area of the property I hunt. With that being said, the pipeline company still thought that particular stretch of land was under one land owner, but the property has been broken up between multiple people. So they're not going off the most up to date information to begin with

[Txarrowhunter]

The a big pipeline is coming through our property. They offered $15k to run it 600’ through our property I said no. They came back with $31k I said things were looking better and asked where they wanted to run it exactly. After a bit more negotiations we got a little under $50k for them to go through. It’s a 50’ easement

[dbaio1]

First question before anything, interstate, intrastate or gathering line ?

[JMKro]

Intrastate. Not sure if it's a gathering pipe. We were told it was going to be a 16" pipe that's going to run around 45 miles.

[SwampBuck]

What the others said has been pretty good advice.
I have never been on the landowners side but I’ve been the tech that has had to deal with landowners of the pipe I was taking care of after it was installed.

Keep In mind. The ROW people that you deal
With prior and the contractors that install the pipe are generally not the same guy that will be stuck taking care of the assets once they’re in the ground. When it’s all said and done, if something was out of whack don’t take it out on the tech. Speaking from that stand point we generally spent a lot of time and more company money making landowners happy after the work was done, hopefully you get a good guy and if you can be one of the “good landowners” I promise he will help you out in anyway he can.

[Pstraw]

How small of a property?
If they are wanting to run it under the pond, just have them 'bore' completely under your place. Won't disturb anything on top and you'll still get some $$$$. This is what we did on the last one that came thru us.