A farming family in Ohio says a pipeline developer has, for the moment, backed off efforts to use eminent domain on property the family has held for generations.
The dispute centers on a natural gas pipeline tied to Meta’s new data center and on how large corporate developments can come into conflict with the people who already live and work on the land.
What happened?
According to BG Independent News, Will-Power sought to purchase some of the Luidhardt family’s land north of Bowling Green, Ohio, for a natural gas line linked to Meta’s Middleton Township data center. Jon Luidhardt said the family declined, after which the company pursued eminent domain to force a sale.
After that, Jon Luidhardt and his father, Ken Luidhardt, turned to Maurice Thompson, executive director of the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law. Thompson asked for an intervention from the Ohio Power Siting Board, saying a project built for the benefit of a single company should not justify taking private property…