bartholomew letter 20150521-5039(30599880)

20150521-5039 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 5/21/2015 8:39:07 AM

May 21,2015

Scott D. and Mona L. Bartholomew Bartholomew Farms 4 Bartholomew Road Millville, P A 17846

[email protected]

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, N .E. D Washington, D.C. 20426

Attention: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary

Reference: Atlantic Sunrise Project, FERC Docket No. CP15-138 Proposed route change on lands of Scott D. Bartholomew and Mona L. Bartholomew CPL South Pipeline, RIW # PA-C0-175.000, Tax Map# 27,01-014-00,000 Orange Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The purpose of this letter is to file comments and request a change of the location of the referenced pipeline as it crosses our referenced property. The original pipeline route, as proposed in the summer of2014, was recently changed due to the selection of the C.S. #610 compressor station site on lands of Irvin Martenas which adjoins our farm in Orange Township, Columbia County, P A. The revised pipeline route will have a devastating effect on the future use of our property for continued agricultural operations, future poultry/egg production building sites, and future development of residential building sites. Attached are two plats. Exhibit "A" depicts our farm, the original pipeline route, the revised pipeline route, two options for alternative pipeline routes and future building lots that would be impacted by the pipeline. Exhibit "B" is an aerial view of our farm which depicts the layout of our farming operation, crop fields, the poultry/egg production building and the revised pipeline route.

In May, 2014, we were contacted by Universal Field Services, as agent for Williams j Transcontinental Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco) to request permission to conduct surveys for the proposed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Project.

The original route is labeled "Original Route" on attached Exhibit "A". The Original Route crosses about six hundred (600) feet of wooded land at the northwest corner of our farm. The Original Route avoided all high value farm fields, poultry/egg production building sites and road frontage with future real estate development potential. We felt the Original Pipeline route was in a good location and we granted permission to conduct surveys for pipeline.


Transco selected a compressor station site (C.S. 610 Site) on the neighboring Martenas property and negotiated an option to purchase the compressor station site in September, 2014.

Transco made no further contact with us to discuss any revised pipeline route location or to secure permission to survey a revised route to connect the pipeline with the compressor station site on the neighboring Martenas property.

On April 20, 2015, a Right of Way Agent for Universal Field Services met with us to discuss granting an easement for the proposed pipeline. The agent provided the proposed easement agreements with a plat depicting a totally revised pipeline route. The pipeline route is depicted on Exhibit "A" as "Revised Route". This was the first time we became aware of a revised pipeline route.

We were shocked to learn the original pipeline route that initially crossed a six hundred foot long wooded strip in the northwest corner of the farm was revised to bisect the farm and adversely affect over 2,600 feet of prime farm land with at least three future poultry /egg production building sites; two future building lots, one on each side of the pipeline crossing of Bartholomew Road; another two future building lots, one on each side of the pipeline crossing of Welliversville Road; as well as up to ten future building lots with one hundred (100) feet of frontage each, on the south side ofWelliversville Road where the Revised Route extends parallel to and within three hundred feet ofWelliversville Road.

Based on the location of the Revised Route, as depicted on the attached Exhibit "A" it is obvious that the pipeline route will seriously damage the value of the real estate's best and highest use, which is future poultry jegg production building sites or prime residential building lots along Bartholomew and Welliversville Roads.

The Landowner's Family has owned and farmed the property since 1952 and the farm has been sold to the next generation for the past three generations. Each generation selling to the next generation so the former owner could receive fair market value for the farm and enjoy retirement. Siting the proposed pipeline at the Revised Route location will damage the real estate development value of the farm; which, in turn, will adversely impact our retirement plans.

It is unfortunate that Transco did not attempt to discuss the revised route with us prior to the FERC Filing. The agent explained the route and the consideration are both non-negotiable because the route has been submitted to FERC. During the second meeting with the right of way agent on May 5, 2015, the agent was advised that the revised route and offered consideration for the easement were unacceptable and the agent was requested to ask Transco to reconsider the route location to follow the north and west property lines, or to increase the offer consideration to account for the excessive damage to the value of future building lots.


Option 1 Route By paralleling our north property line from the northwest corner of the compressor station site, at MP112.6, to a point that intercepts the original route, labeled "Option 1 Route" on Exhibit ''A'', then continuing southwest to the Diltz property on the original route, there would be less damage to both agricultural land and future building lots as would occur with the Revised Route pipeline location.

Option 2 Route If Transco is unable to justify the reconnection to the Original Route required by Option 1, then a reasonable alternative would be to depart from the Original Route at our west property line, then continue southward along and parallel to our west property line crossing Welliversville Road, then intercepting the Revised Route where it enters the Diltz property south ofWelliversville Road. The alternative route is labeled "Option 2 Route" and depicted on Exhibit "A". There would be damage to the value of an additional two road frontage lots on Welliversville Road. Again, there would be less damage to both agricultural land and future building lots as would occur with the Revised Route pipeline location.

Further, we were astonished when the agent discussed the financial terms of the offer and advised that the $6,000.00 per acre early signing incentive, being thirty percent (30%) of the permanent easement offer, would be withdrawn if the easement was not signed within sixty days of the initial meeting on April 20, 2015. This deadline places additional stress on our decision making process and leaves us with the impression that neither the route nor the consideration will be changed to accommodate our concerns. Due to the June 20, 2015 deadline, we will be faced with considering a substantially lesser amount if we delay the decision.

During the abovementioned meetings, we were in the midst of our busiest time of year, being the corn and soybean planting season. It was difficult to set appointments, but the agent was able to meet with us during a rain day when we took a break while maintaining the planting equipment.

On May 13, the agent contacted us to follow up on the questions raised during the May 5 meeting regarding the request to change the pipeline route or increase the consideration to account for the value of the future building lots. The agent advised that Transco would not change the pipeline route nor increase the consideration to account for damage to the value of the future building lots. Furthermore, the agent adamantly insisted that Transco only considers the current land use, rather than the best and highest value land use. It is unfortunate that Trans co will not consider the best and highest value of the property, being for future building lots.

As we tried to understand the rationale behind Transco's reluctance to change the pipeline route and refusal to increase the consideration, we asked the agent ifTransco is paying any greater amounts for easements on building lots or commercial properties in other areas of the pipeline project, such as the crossing location of US Route 11 south of Bloomsburg. The agent explained the same values are applied to all properties, and Transco is not changing


the value of any offers. It is unsettling to know that Transco's opinion of the value of our property, being high value agricultural property with future development potential, is no different than low value waste land. If this is the case, then we will need to secure legal assistance, at considerable expense, to argue that our farm land with future residential development sites has a higher value than waste land. This seems unfair.

In an effort to reach an acceptable compromise, we hereby propose an alternate pipeline route, depicted as "Option 1" on Exhibit "A". Option 1 connects the compressor station site to the original route. Option 1 is entirely on our property.

In the event that Transco is unable to justify reconsidering the original pipeline route, then we hereby propose a second alternate pipeline route, depicted as "Option 2" on Exhibit "A". Option 2 connects the original route at the northwest corner of our property to the point where the revised route enters the Diltz property on the south side ofWelliversville Road.

Both Options 1 and 2 involve damage to the value of road frontage building lots and it would be expected that Transco would be able to justify an increased offer to account for the damage to the value of future subdivided building lots.

The Option 1 and Option 2 pipeline routes would have less impact on our agricultural property and less impact on future building lots.

Thank you for considering our concerns.

Respectfully submitted,

~~br----. Scott D. Bartholomew

Mona L. Bartholomew


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0 600 1,200 1,800

----- SCALE IN FEET

LEGEND

PIPELINE

- !i'. - PROPERTY BOUNDARY

c=.-=:.J AREA OF PERMANENT RIGHT OF WAY L~ AREA OF TEMPORARY WORKSPACE

EXHIBIT "A"

~ AREA OF ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY WORKSPACE

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2635 FEET

149.94 ACRES

3.02 ACRES

3.09 ACRES

1.27 ACRES

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Printed 4/16/15

Williams Atlantic Sunrise

1 : 7122 400m

lOOOft AND 2010 NAVTEQ 2015 Microsoft Corporation Earthstar Geographies SIO Image courtesy of USGS

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FERC Letter.5.21.15.PDF...............................................1-6


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bartholomew letter 20150521-5039(30599880)

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