A provision in Pennsylvania law allows operators of a „utility company“ to use an exceptional area to provide pipeline services. In the case of a significant estate proceeding, the landowner is compensated by the court or supervisory authority at a fair market value for the easement. If you are negotiating an easement for your land, you should be aware of the pipeline operator`s guidelines for the use and construction of land in the vicinity of natural gas pipelines and equipment. In general, landowners are prohibited from installing structures, storing anything that could be an obstacle, or planting trees or shrubs within the priority. Unauthorized construction or planting in the pipeline priority is considered a priority. Normal gardening and farming activities are generally acceptable. However, they should never dig or build anything inside the easement without a pipeline representative first marking the pipeline, specifying the priority, and explaining the company`s construction guidelines. Pipeline service activities can also result in additional risks if the pipe ditch has not been properly compacted, fully recharged, and the depth of coverage has been maintained at the required thickness. In Pennsylvania, individual collection lines (pipelines connecting drilling sites, compressor units and measuring stations) are not subject to a significant area and the pipeline operator must negotiate easements with each owner along the pipeline route. In Pennsylvania, the eminent field or the right of condemnation generally applies only to intergovernmental transmission lines or pipelines that carry gas over long distances between two or more states. In other states, the power to designate an area of eminence may be conferred on all national collection and distribution companies under a „Common Carrier“ provision.
A right of priority for the pipeline is a land strip above and around the pipelines, in which some of the legal rights of the land owner have been granted to a pipeline operator. A priority agreement between the pipeline company and the land owner is also called an easement and is usually subject to the County Register and Recorders Office with ownership deeds. Rights of way and easements offer a permanent and limited interest to the country, which allows the pipeline company to install, operate, test, test, modify, repair, replace and protect one or more pipelines within the limits of the intended easement. The agreement may vary the rights and widths of the priority, but in general, the pipeline company`s priority rights extend to 25 feet on either side of an oil pipeline, unless there are special conditions. These easements can be both permanent and temporary, with temporary services giving the pipeline company additional construction space. . . .