As farmers and ranchers in northwest Oklahoma work to replace miles and miles of destroyed fence posts from the deadly and disastrous wildfires in March, they are being urged to use caution because of the buried oil and natural gas pipelines.
As one drives along the highways near Buffalo, workers are still busy replacing burned wooden fence posts with steel ones. The once-darkened pastures, in many instances are covered with green grass but it’s clear the land is still like a moonscape. But all that digging concerns some energy companies.
“Energy Transfer Partners wants to remind everyone that with the recent wild fires there will be lots of fence building work going on around and over our facilities,” read the ad in the weekend edition of the Woodward News. “We encourage each and everyone to call 811, call 1-800-522-OKIE or go online to the website and submit a web ticket: www.okie811.org.
Energy Transfer reminds readers it is a free service and there is no charge to the excavator, landowner or homeowner.
“Please don’t risk your life or anyone else’s life because you failed to make that call!!!” stated the advertisement.
Little wonder that Energy Transfer is concerned. It owns Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company which moves natural gas out of the region. All one has to do is look at the ownership map of the region.
