Work on a natural gas pipeline through Southwest Virginia could soon encroach upon private property owned by people who want nothing to do with the project.
A federal judge on Friday granted Mountain Valley Pipeline immediate possession of the parcels, which it gained through the laws of eminent domain after nearly 300 landowners refused the company’s offers to purchase easements through which the pipeline will pass.
Although U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth Dillon ruled Jan. 31 that Mountain Valley had the right to use eminent domain, she effectively put the company’s plans on hold by requiring it to present more information on the value of the properties it sought to condemn.
