Category Archives: Property Seizures

Farming & Ranching, Involuntary Sellers, Oil & Gas, Property Seizures, Uncategorized, Water

From Democracy Now: Dakota Access Pipeline Company Attacks Native American Protesters with Dogs & Pepper Spray

September 5, 2016 sustainingamerica Leave a comment

“Water is life…I wish they would open their eyes and have a heart.” (Member of the Ocala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge Reservation)

In a scenario that is becoming more and more familiar, this video from Democracy Now chronicles yet another confrontation between the interests of private business, government agencies and American Civilians.

Armed with dogs, pepper spray, trucks and bulldozers, purported representatives from the company attacked the protestors, who were mostly women and children.

More information available on the Democracy Now website.

According to Lee Fang “The Dakota Access Pipeline route brings oil from the Bakken fields to a hub in Illinois, from which it will connect to existing pipelines that lead to the Nederland, Texas, terminal on the Gulf Coast, a facility owned by Sunoco Logistics, a partner to the Dakota Access project, capable of crude oil exports. Energy Transfer Partners’ 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, notes that low crude oil price are a challenge for the company due to ‘general oversupply,’ but that ‘export projects’ under construction, including at Nederland, will ‘balance this market by 2018.’ The filing alsolists the Bakken pipeline in a section about positioning the company as a “leader in the export of hydrocarbons.” Earlier this month, Energy Transfer Partners presented at an infrastructure conference sponsored by Citibank, highlighting the Dakota Access Pipeline as a ‘growth project’ under a section about how the company is ‘exceptionally well positioned to capitalize on U.S. energy exports.’ ”

According to the company building the pipeline, Energy Transfer’s site, “It will transport approximately 470,000 barrels per day with a capacity as high as 570,000 barrels per day or more – which could represent approximately half of Bakken current daily crude oil production. Shippers will be able to access multiple markets, including Midwest and East Coast markets as well as the Gulf Coast via the Nederland, Texas crude oil terminal facility of Sunoco Logistics Partners. Depending upon regulatory approvals, the pipeline is projected to be in service by the fourth quarter of 2016.”

Continuing, they claim, “Dakota Access has purchased voluntary easement agreements on 100% of the properties along the route in North Dakota. Overall, Dakota Access has executed voluntary easement agreements on more than 99% of the properties across the entire four-state route.”

As we have seen many times in the past, the term “voluntary easement agreement,” or “willing seller,” does not always mean “voluntary.”

Bundy Family, Farming & Ranching, Hage Family, Property Seizures

Ramona Hage: “Federal Government Engaged in Conspiracy”

February 8, 2016 sustainingamerica Leave a comment

Ramona Hage is the daughter of Wayne Hage, rancher and author of “Sagebrush Rebellion.” Her family has been in conflict with the BLM, the Forest Service and other government agencies since 1978. They have fought in federal court in three major cases and other water adjudications, “Just to defend what we were lawfully allowed to do in the first place,” she says.

This video was recorded in January of 2015 at the National Press Club’s meeting of the CSPOA (Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association). Copyright CSPOA.

Click here to see Ramona’s talk to the CSPOA on YouTube or watch below.

Blog Post, Bundy Family, Farming & Ranching, National Park Service, Property Seizures

Witness to the Arrests: Victoria Sharp was in the car with Ammon Bundy when the FBI arrested them and shot Lavoy Finicum

January 28, 2016 sustainingamerica Leave a comment

“Are you kidding me? Have you seen the car? Have you seen the vehicle?…I mean, it’s completely covered with gun shots.”

This file (an audio interview with Victoria Sharp) was recorded after the arrests in Oregon. It was sent to me and I don’t know the name of the interviewer. If you do, please let me know so I can correctly attribute this to him.

Transcript of the Interview

Blog Post, Farming & Ranching, Mojave Preserve, National Park Service, Property Seizures

Young Boy Recalls the Nt’l Park Svc Ranger Pulling a Gun on His Dad

January 23, 2016 sustainingamerica 2 Comments

This interview with young Cody Parker was conducted in 2005 on Bobby Parker’s front porch in the Mojave Preserve. Bobby was trenching a new water line with his privately-owned water directly adjacent to his cabin when Ranger Dingman, with the National Park Service arrived with another ranger. Dingman demanded that Bobby stop trenching and pulled his gun out. Bobby’s adopted dad, Leo Spatziani, saw what was happening and went to his pickup truck, pulled out his rifle, held it up in the air and told the rangers to leave. A few days later, Leo was arrested for assaulting a federal officer and ultimately convicted. The then 66 year old spent six months in prison. This is an excerpt from one of the interviews with Cody recalling what had happened. The interview sound bite itself is unedited, so you hear Ms. Catania’s voice in the background.

Blog Post, National Park Service, New River, Property Seizures, Scenic Byway

Disabled Coal Miner Says Park Service is Taking His Home

January 21, 2016 sustainingamerica Leave a comment

“I was there the night she had the heart attack” (J.C. Kelley, American Coal Miner, New River, 2005)

This interview was conducted in 2005 on New River Road in Hinton, West Virginia. According to sources there, the National Park Service at first told the residents that they would fix the road and wanted permission to do so, but that mandate was changed by creating “scenic parkway,” focusing on “land acquisition options for resource protection.” The residents fought but many gave up. Some passed away during the process. Years later, many of the homes taken away from the original owners to “preserve the beauty of the river” lie in disrepair and much of the property has been resold and subsequently redeveloped by others.

EXCERPT FROM THE INTERVIEW:

INTERVIEWER: What do you think is going to happen?

JC KELLEY: Well, you can’t fight city hall. They’ll eventually take it away from you because they got more time and money than we got. Just like uh, just like uh Doug Talbert says that we can wait ’til some of the people dies, and which they have.

INTERVIEWER: Have people gotten sick over this, has this been hard on people?

JC KELLEY: (TALKS OVER) Yes. I know of one lady that it killed. It killed one lady.

INTERVIEWER: Who was that?

JC KELLEY: Uh it killed uh, uh–

INTERVIEWER: Was that Mabel?

JC KELLEY: Mabel Flannigan’s the one it killed. I was there the night she had the heart attack when she seen the picture.

INTERVIEWER: What picture?

JC KELLEY: Of uh, the one they had computerized for her and had her home gone. Where it took her home away from her right up here. And she said that night that she would uh die in her house before she’d let them take it, and she, they had to force her to go to the doctor and to the store and stuff. She would not leave her home. And she died right there in her house.

INTERVIEWER: Wow.

JC KELLEY: I was there the night she had the heart attack. I was there the night she got sick.

Blog Post, New River, Property Seizures

New River – Virginia – Willing Sellers Are Not Always Willing

January 18, 2016 sustainingamerica Leave a comment

Cindy and Tommy Mullens spent 12 years building their dream home on the New River in Hinton, West Virginia, only to be forced off when the National Park Service began seizing property along what was going to be a scenic byway.

After dozens of landowners relinquished their homes, many of the properties fell into disrepair. We noted some that were fenced in, falling down and blighted. According to the residents, some of the land that was seized was sold to a lumber company by the Park Service and private homes with new owners were rebuilt on the areas that had originally been confiscated.

The Mullens home on the New River, Circa 2005

Properties managed by the National Park Service. After years of neglect, the homes are rotting along the Scenic Byway, New River, West Virginia.

One of the properties on the New River after several years of National Park Service management.

After the Park Service sold some of the confiscated land to a lumber company, new homes were constructed

This is a short excerpt (1:30) from a longer interview with Cindy Mullens. To see the longer version of her unedited interview (questions were taken out to avoid distraction, but the interview is presented as it occurred in 2005).

And here’s the full interview with Cindy:

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