When a government agency grants a permit, it is usually allowing something that is potentially or actually harmful or dangerous. Permits for the construction of public utilities are supposed to weigh the convenience and necessity of the greater public against the harm done to individuals.
Pipelines require a clear right-of-way for their construction and the government delegates its sovereign power to take land by eminent domain to corporations. Takings are supposed to be compensated to make those affected whole. But it’s rare that the compensation is satisfactory or sufficient for the loss of quiet enjoyment of one’s home or business property.
The Mariner East Pipeline is in the news again because people allege construction is harming them. And what public interest justifies this? Who needs the products it carries? Not the US public. It’s for off-shore producers of plastics and other fossil fuel products.
Thanks to big dollar lobbying by the industry, our legislators are not representing us the public. And the permits to do harm get issued for no good public purpose.
Gas pipeline owners think that they can do what ever they want, when ever they want, despite rules and regulations. They think they can bully their way across peoples land, ignore environmental sensitive wetlands,creeks, rivers and parkland. They claim to have the power of “eminent domain” under Federal, State and local law, to seize land for their personal profit, not the greater public good, which was the original purpose of eminent domain law, the serving of the greater public good, like a highway, airport, bridge, tunnel or business or home building. All they care about is profit, nothing else/