Boone County Landowners Follow In Holt County's Footsteps

​Landowners have been fighting for their rights against TransCanada pipeline for year now, and the fight is far from over.

Today in Boone County Courty, attorney Brian Jorde stood up and represented those landowners.
 
Over a dozen people showed up for court to represent the landowners that are affected by the pipeline.  Although this process is still ongoing, there have been other cases just like this in York and Holt counties.
 
“Hopefully this court will rule consistent with the other three judges that have ruled unanimously in favor of the landowners. Then TransCanada appealed one of those cases and they’ve said any case they lose, they will be appealing," Jorde said. "Then we will go to the court of appeal or Supreme Court. And we are confident that they will see the evidence in the same way, and then hopefully the landowners will get paid back for everything they’ve had to endure.”
 
Jorde has been representing landowners for 6 years. He says that it all started when he got a call from a landowner asking how a foreign oil company could come and take his land.
 
“If it wasn’t for TransCanada saying that we are going to come and take your land, then the landowners wouldn’t have had to hire lawyers, pay court cost, fees," Jorde said. "And so we are saying that it is only fair that if you’re going to be the good neighbor that you claim you are in all your glossy ads, that you reimburse them in the years long expense that they had to incur for something that they never wanted.”
 
With oil spills happening and complications with the constructions, landowners are still hesitant. Bold Nebraska representative Jane Kleeb says that to the landowners, waiting a few more weeks for the final decision is nothing, but they are ready to this to be done. 
 
“Landowners want to put this behind them, but TransCanada keep essentially throwing up obstacles so they don’t have to pay their fair share," Kleeb said. "It is literally only fair that a foreign corporation who tried to steal American property using eminent domain for private gain, now has to pay those legal fees.”