Troy Coons, chair of the Northwest Landowners Association. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
(. North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota landowners complained about eroding property rights and advocated for local government control as they testified against a bill to take zoning decisions for electrical transmission lines away from local governments and give them to the state.
An Otter Tail Power Co. representative contended that two townships in Stutsman County passed highly restrictive zoning rules to stop a massive powerline project.
Darron Orr, who lives in one of the townships, disputed that. “It’s not about protesting a project, it’s protecting a home,” he said.
House Bill 1258 would take away zoning authority from townships and counties for transmission lines. Instead, the state would have that authority, similar to how rules are made for pipelines.
Troy Coons, chair of the Northwest Landowners Association, and Derrick Braaten, the group’s attorney, noted that a lawsuit over the pipeline language is pending in connection with the Summit Carbon Solutions project.
