Dickinson Co. Supervisors Hold Continued Hearing On Pipeline/Utility Ordinance
Dickinson Co. Supervisors Hold Continued Hearing On Pipeline/Utility Ordinance
March 01, 2022Steve Schwaller
(Spirit Lake)– A Des Moines attorney representing one of the carbon dioxide pipelines proposed to run through the area is taking issue with a proposed ordinance by the Dickinson County Board of supervisors that would place special requirements on pipelines and other utility companies looking to construct lines through drainage districts. James Pray, an attorney for Navigator CO2 Ventures, spoke this (Tues.) morning at a continued public hearing the supervisors held on the matter. He claims the ordinance exceeds the county’s authority, making reference in part to a $1 million permit fee…
“If you try to exercise something beyond what the statute says and add all these additional payments, then you’re telling the supreme court that yeah, we’re ready to be sued. Go ahead and sue us, because we obviously have newly found powers and we can make the pipeline have to pay all of these fees, maybe we can make farmers pay fees. So that’s the concern I have.”
Assistant County Attorney Steve Goodlow argued otherwise…
“There’s never been any intention to have, expand any regulation for authority the board has outside of the drainage district as trustees of the drainage district. So I know the board has read this and read this and read this, so I stand behind the ordinance. If we need to do something in court, so be it when the time comes. We’ve talked about this ad nauseum at this point, so.”
The supervisors voted unanimously to move ahead with the ordinance.
