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Residents complain of limited notice as Kansas Gas plans transmission-line replacement; commissioners say easements limit county action
Summary
Commissioners discussed a Kansas Gas plan to replace a transmission line on the east side of Junction City, residents raised concerns about lack of notice and drone surveys, and county officials said utility easements limit county authority though law and the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) were cited for follow-up.
Commissioners and residents spent a substantial portion of the meeting discussing a planned transmission-line replacement by Kansas Gas on Junction City's east side and related surveying activity that residents said occurred without prior notice.
One commissioner said the project appears to be compliance-driven and therefore necessary. "Kansas Gas is planning a replacement of the line on the East Side Of Junction City due to requirements necessary necessitating a replacement of the line," the commissioner said, adding that the replacement will be located within existing easements or easements obtained along the proposed route.
Several residents and other speakers said they were upset they had not been notified sooner and reported that surveyors and drones had appeared on or over private property. A resident told the commission, "you don't own the airspace," describing what she had been told by an engineer and saying drone surveys are permissible in many cases without owner permission.
The sheriff's office and other staff told the commission they have looked into drone law and that deputies will respond if surveyors enter private property beyond easements. The sheriff said the office has a captain who attends drone-law training and that legal avenues can be pursued when property is entered without permission: "If they don't listen to you, then we will respond and deal with it."
Commissioners and staff recommended the county continue communication with the Kansas Corporation Commission and with Kansas Gas and suggested property owners may need to pursue civil remedies if they believe their property rights were violated. Several speakers said they were seeking contacts and additional technical information on line pressure and placement before deciding on legal steps.
The exchange also touched on potential long-term consequences residents said could follow the company's survey or easement acquisition, including restrictions on future building over a pipeline corridor. County staff said the correspondence they received (described as sent via the KCC to a county contact) contained information on the project and that property owners can expect utility companies to be responsible for restoring and maintaining easements where work occurs.
No formal county action to block the project was recorded in the meeting transcript; commissioners said the county's authority is limited when utility easements apply but that staff and law-enforcement resources will respond to potential trespass or similar complaints.
