County Man Makes His Case At Dominion Lawsuit Hearing
If Dominion asks a landowner for permission to survey property for a pipeline route and the homeowner says "no," can the company come onto the land anyway?
Churchville homeowners William and Wendy Little believe their "no" means no. Dominion's representatives say the company still has the right to survey the couple's 5 acres.
The Littles' lawyer argued in a hearing for their federal lawsuit Thursday that the state law that grants natural gas companies the right to study private land without the owner's permission doesn't speak to the Littles' case.
Virginia's statute allows such private property entry and doesn't count it as trespass if the company asks to study the land and doesn't receive permission.