News from Neighbors

Landowners to organize for pipeline talks
    STERLING JOURNAL-ADVOCATE, Jan. 17 — Landowners in northeast Colorado will gather next month to explore forming an organization to negotiate with ONEOK, Inc., for easements that company will be seeking for its $1.4 billion Elk Creek Pipeline. The pipeline will be used to transport natural gas liquids, called NGLs, from Montana to Kansas.
    Jason Adamson, a farmer and stockman from Merino, said landowners were notified just before Christmas that ONEOK (pronounced ONE-oak) wanted surveying access.
    A meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Merino Community Center to see what interest there is in forming a Colorado group to negotiate easement conditions with ONEOK.
    Adamson said Wyoming already has a group formed and members of that group and their attorney will be at the Feb. 5 meeting. The purpose of the meeting, Adamson said, is to make sure the landowners whose property the pipeline will cross are treated fairly.
    “We want to make sure people know we’re not anti-pipeline,” he said. “We’re very much pro-energy, pro-business, but we want to make sure that we’re going to be made willing sellers.”
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Livestock expansion meeting draws big crowd to Imperial
    IMPERIAL REPUBLICAN, Jan. 18 — More than 120 attended an information meeting on livestock expansion in Chase County, Nebraska, Friday, Jan. 12. Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango, Nebraska, organized the meeting held at the fairgrounds.
    Hughes said he wanted people to get first-hand knowledge on two proposed livestock expansion projects in the county.
    These include an organic dairy proposed northwest of Imperial, Nebraska, by Aurora Dairy, based in Colorado, and a dairy heifer finishing yard planned by Stromberger Farms southwest of Champion, Nebraska.  
    Hughes used a panel format, with each party addressing their project. He also included Charley Colton, county planning commission chair, to outline zoning issues for the projects.
    Colton told attendees the county zoning regulations require a setback for intensive livestock operations based on animal units.
    For Class I, 300-1,000 units, the required setback is 1,000 feet from the nearest neighbor. For Class II: 1,001-5,000 units, 1 mile; Class III: 5,001 to 20,000 units, 1.5 miles; Class IV: 20,000 and above, 2 miles.
    Most of those attending wanted to hear more about the proposed project of Boulder-based Aurora Dairy.
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Resource officer gives info on arming staff
    STERLING JOURNAL-ADVOCATE, Jan. 19 — Peetz School District wants to do everything it can to keep its students safe. That’s why at a regular school board meeting Wednesday, Jason Littlefield, the school resource officer with Logan County Sheriff’s Office, presented information about allowing staff to carry firearms on campus.
    Superintendent Mark Collard said the board wanted to discuss the topic due to concerns about how quickly law enforcement could respond if there is an incident at the school and wanting to ensure the school is as safe as possible.
    Littlefield spoke about what other districts do, what the state allows school districts to do, what kind of training would be required for staff and the guidelines that the district’s insurance carrier has.
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