I have been dwelling, as in my tendency, about the events of this past Thursday.My main dwelling revolves around the conversation that took place with Steve Doeung, myself and the Queen of Wink, at Riscky's BBQ in the Fort Worth Stockyards, after the CARO Rally and Steve's appearance in court.
During the course of talking to Steve there was a moment of absolute clarity, where, for a moment in time, the absolute absurdity of the hell Steve is being put through, by Chesapeake Energy and the City of Fort Worth, was so obviously wrong and the solution so obviously clear.
Chesapeake Energy wants to run a non-odorized natural gas pipeline under Carter Avenue. Chesapeake claims this is safe. However, these pipelines have been known to blow up. And so, it is totally reasonable that a person might choose not to live above such a pipeline.
This is non-odorized natural gas. The reason natural gas is odorized is so leaks can be detected. This was mandated after a natural gas explosion. In Texas. Killed 100s of school kids.
How can the natural gas industry so cavalierly dismiss citizen's concerns, when the record of the industry really inspires no confidence.
Steve is the last holdout on his side of Carter Avenue. The homeowners on the opposite side of Carter Avenue received no compensation, because the pipeline would not run under their front yards. Yet they are in the same danger, taking the same potential risk as their neighbors on Steve's side of the street.
The small amount of compensation, that Steve's neighbors took from Chesapeake, does not make them whole. It does not cover their loss in property value. Or the difficulty of selling their home, with the homeowner mandated to reveal to a potential buyer that the house sits atop a big pipeline pumping non-odorized natural gas.
Chesapeake Energy is a private company trying to maximize its profits. Abusing eminent domain allows Chesapeake Energy to help its bottom line, by being able to acquire gas pipeline routes on the cheap.
Okay, here is my moment of clarity. If, indeed Chesapeake Energy needs to run a pipeline under homes, to me the only sane, only decent, only right way to do this is for Chesapeake Energy to acquire the homes in the same manner Jerry Jones took homes in Arlington for his new Cowboy Stadium.
As is, the value of the home is being compromised, with the homeowner left victimized. Eminent Domain should insist that Chesapeake Energy should buy the entire property at market value, plus an additional fee to help pay for moving. Chesapeake Energy could then rent out the homes.
Or tear them all down and turn Carter Avenue into a park above the pipeline.
In a truly fair, logical and just America, this would be the only option. If this did not fit a private business's profit making model, fine, move on and figure something else out. But, it should not be part of the system that a private business can damage citizen's property value, in this manner, without truly just compensation.
I am thinking we should turn the Carter Avenue Rescue Operation into the Carter Avenue Chesapeake Park Project aka CACPP.
Why is this type ruling not the automatic course of such things? It only makes sense. It just is not fair to maximize profit by squeezing the little guy. It all leaves me feeling slightly sick.
6 comments:
If they tear down the homes, the City loses the tax revenue...
Anonymous---
The property would be owned by Chesapeake Energy. I'm assuming they don't also have church-like tax free status, in addition to all their other perks.
I don't know. Aubry McClendon and Mike Moncrief act like they are deities. The bottom line is the bottom lines for both of these upstanding citizens and stellar pillars of the community. FW for sure but Boston and other locales, not so much.
I wouldn't feel safe with it being a park for the public, but a cemetery....now that I could live with, er...uh I mean die for.
CT2---
I'm thinking that maybe should be the way to go. When homes are taken by eminent domain, for a dangerous pipeline, the land becomes a cemetery.
As a homeowner on Scott Avenue, I presented that option at City Council when this all first started going down.
The problem is that Carter Avenue is not the only street affected. This pipeline will endanger people for a large area including at least three city blocks on either side of the pipeline.
This is not an option. Chesapeake does not want the public relations nightmare of the nightly news showing homes being torn down to build their pipeline.
A more realistic approach at this point is to begin an email campaign to Judge Sprinkle at vgsprinkle@tarrantcounty.com to respectfully ask him not to sign the Judgment.
Steve's easement is no longer "necessary" for this pipeline and that would be the only reason for signing this Judgment. CHK says it is only needed for a "backup" now. We can only win this battle in the court of public opinion. It is time for the Judge to hear from us directly, in a respectful manner, on this issue.
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