LEE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Midlam family says they have a big problem. One that required drastic action. Rich and Lisa Midlam, brother and sister, took to chaining themselves to machinery on their land to make their thoughts clear. The machinery is there to put in a gas line. Rich and Lisa say they're not leaving unless they're forced too.
“I’ve condemned picketers before. I thought, 'what are they doing? Just settle the issue.' Doesn’t always work. Learned the hard way, you gotta make a similarly strong message I guess,” Rich Midlam said.
Rich and Lisa Midlam are third-generation farmers in Lee Township, right on the northern edge of Calhoun County. Lisa says their father would be proud of what they're doing.
“He would just be devastated in his soul. He taught us! He was the Lee Township supervisor," Lisa said.
Lisa and Rich say there's a new gas pipeline coming through. They don't have an issue with a gas pipeline. They have an issue with where this one is located.
“There is an existing gas line that’s still in operation right now. It’s not at this location. It doesn’t bother. It’s in an open field. No houses. No intersection. No devaluation of property. They already have that current easement there," Rich explained.
Michigan Gas Utilities says they have legal authority to put the new pipeline where they please. The Midlams say, that's correct. They say legal and moral are two different things.
“They have pulled imminent domain on us. They now have a legal right to put it, right where we’re standing,” Rich said.
A judge ruled the company can place their gas line through a path that the Midlams say has the potential to affect their property values and would put people in harm's way if the line ever were to explode, but that is rare.
“This isn’t something we just did. This goes through a strict oversight and regulatory process,” Brendan Conway, Michigan Gas Utilities Spokesman, said.
The gas company argues that they tried to work with the property owners, and has done so for much of the project.
“We actually compensate all landowners for that easement on that property. In this case, these land owners asked for what we consider, and what we think most people would consider a very unreasonable compensation,” Conway said.
The Midlam family argues that they want the line to go along with their current easement agreement, in place for decades, with an already existing gas line location they are comfortable with. They're concerned with the pipeline going along their roadway, saying it forever limits their options for their land. The Midlams say they've tried to contact Michigan Gas Utilities to no avail. Michigan Gas Utilities argues the Midlams have not been willing to work with them, nor did they contact the company with solutions.
Lisa and Rich remained chained up with no intention of leaving. The gas company says they will work on creating a plan that works for everyone, but was not clear on what that might be.
