A judge has dismissed Montana-Dakota Utilities' eminent domain proceeding for a proposed natural gas pipeline in North Dakota.
Landowner attorney Lynn Boughey called the decision a "huge case for property rights, and the little guy."
The Minot Daily News reports that North Central District Judge Gary Lee ruled that harm to the private landowner outweighed any public benefits from the pipeline.
MDU wants to build the 3,000-foot-long (915-meter-long) pipeline to service a BNSF Railway facility west of Minot. The utility obtained the necessary permits and approvals from state and federal agencies but had to resort to eminent domain to cross the private land.
The judge ruled the pipeline would be convenient but not a necessity. MDU officials had no immediate comment, saying they're still evaluating the decision.
(Source: The Associated Press)