EDGELEY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A public meeting for South Central North Dakota Landowners focusing on issues concerning high voltage power lines, wind farms, carbon pipelines, and fertilizer production plants being proposed in the area will be held tonight in Edgeley, North Dakota.
Dickey, North Dakota area farmer, Tim Leppert says if you are a landowner concerned about these issues and bills in the North Dakota legislature that center on eminent domain affecting local control of townships and county boards come to this meeting tonight.
He encouraged landowners to watch for two bills of interest that would take away local control from planning and zoning boards if these two bill are passed during the legislative session.
The full interview with Tim Leppert is available below.
The South Central North Dakota landowners meeting will be held tonight in Edgeley, North Dakota at the Bottoms Up Bar and Grill starting at 6:30pm tonight.
The following is an editorial from Stutsman County landowner Darron Orr
“First of all thank you for reaching out to me today about the JetX project and the threat of eminent domain or condemnation. Sometimes I get labeled as the ring leader but truly I hate confrontation or being in the lime light. However, in this case, I have spoken up because our local representatives have undermined all local control despite positions taken by our county zoning commission and our local townships.
I will quickly recap where things started and where things stand today. September of 2023 the JetX project was announced which is a 345kvw high voltage transmission line running from Jamestown to Ellendale. When a potential route was announced and local residents looked into what this line was comprised of, we began to ask questions. I, along with my neighbors, became very concerned with the size of these towers and the close proximity to inhabited homes. The height of these towers are 155 feet tall or the equivalent of a 15 story building and can be placed 500 feet from a residents home. If the easement doesn’t touch that homeowners property, then they are not even notified or have a say in the matter. I find this 40 year old PSC ruling to be outdated and almost criminal to think that a structure of that size and with that kind of voltage can be place so close to an inhabited residence.
In June the Stutsman county zoning committee unanimously passed a 2600 foot setback only to have our county commissioners table the recommendation. Never has this happened before! Two townships affected by the route passed unanimously an ordinance that would protect residents and allow the project to continue. It gave them three options. 1-2600 foot setback from a resident. 2-Notify affected home owner and get a variance. Home owner would have knowledge and be compensated. The third option would be to bury the line.
However, since then our local representatives who have never attended one of the many meetings held, have introduced two bills that will undermine all local control dealing with state sponsored or backed projects. House bill 1258 and Senate bill 2206.
I believe in local control and love what rural North Dakota has to offer. I believe we all have the right to determine what we want our communities to be and what they look like. These bills will affect every township, county commission and city council across the entire state. Personal property rights really don’t exist when big money is involved.”
Sincerely
Darron Orr