BISMARCK, N.D. – A North Dakota Supreme Court ruling favored Summit Carbon Solutions, a pipeline company currently in a dispute with landowners over the right to access properties to survey the land.
The decision affirms a lower court ruling that the pipeline company didn’t need permission from landowners before they accessed property to determine a possible route for the company’s carbon pipeline.
Yahoo says some landowners refused to grant Summit access to survey their property as Summit continues trying to build a carbon capture pipeline. Summit says it’s secured over 80 percent of its proposed North Dakota route through voluntary easements, but some landowners refused.
North Dakota law doesn’t require written notice to landowners for survey access and allows crews access for projects that would benefit the public to show up at any time. Attorneys representing the landowners say the owners should get compensated, and written notice should be required upfront before getting access.
