The court fight by Cimarron Link against several landowners in Garfield County apparently has ended.
Cimarron Link, the subsidiary of Invenergy had sued the landowners who had refused to allow its surveyors onto their land as the firm made plans to construction a large transmission line from the Panhandle to eastern Oklahoma.
OK Energy Today had reported a January court hearing was scheduled after Cimarron Link sued David and Linda Bryan, the Bryan Family LLC, LeRoy Fuksa Trust and the Liebhart Family. But in the past week, Cimarron Link dropped its legal action, according to the Stillwater News Press.
The paper reported the suit was dismissed “without prejudice” which means Cimarron Link could refile in the future, should it choose to do so.
Erika Huffman, Invenergy public affairs director in Oklahoma City told the Stillwater News Press, “While we remain confident in the merits of the request for survey rights, the Cimarron Link team is focused on continuing our work with landowners to secure voluntary and compensated survey access permission. Voluntary dismissal of the survey access case in Garfield County will allow the Cimarron Link team more time to engage directly with landowners to obtain permission to survey and to communicate with the community about the project.”
She added that dismissal of the lawsuit was “prudent to avoid further confusion in the public about the limited purpose of the case.”
“ Cimarron Link is an Oklahoma transmission project benefiting Oklahoma families and businesses.”
As Cimarron Link attempts to reach agreements with landowners from one end of the state to the other, it’s encountered more and more opposition. The Stillwater News Press photo below was taken at an early December meeting of landowners who gathered at a meeting sponsored by their county commissioners.`
Similar meetings were held regarding the national Corridor that was canceled earlier in the month by the U.S. Energy Department. It too was met with stiff resistance by landowners and eventually by the governor, attorney general and several state legislators.
The picture below was grabbed from a video of a Creek County meeting, reflecting the large interest by landowners and others.
The Corridor was proposed to run the length of the entire state and eventually into Arkansas.
