Even with necessary permits in hand, legal battles continue for Minnesota Pipeline Co. and its proposed crude oil pipeline.

The MinnCan project has been a hot topic since January 2006 when Minnesota Pipe Line Co. released plans for the $300 million pipeline that would carry 165,000 barrels of Alaskan oil a day to Twin Cities refineries.

Landowner holdouts along the 304-mile pipeline, which runs from Clearbrook, Minn., to the Flint Hills Resources Refinery in Rosemount, Minn., continue to plague the pipeline company.

Heidi Larson, a spokeswoman for Minnesota Pipe Line Co., said condemnation proceedings against 170 landowners are currently under way.

Meeker County Judge Steven Drange has been assigned to hear condemnation cases for all 13 counties. The judge will hear several motions at a condemnation hearing today (Thursday) at the Meeker County Courthouse in Litchfield.

During the hearing, Minnesota Pipe Line will seek the court’s approval for petitions of condemnation and quick-take, which allows pipeline agents to begin surveying along the route.

“Basically, what that does is it gives Minnesota Pipe Line title to and possession of an easement it seeks prior to the condemnation award of the court,” Larson said.

If the motion is approved, Sept. 27 is the date for title transfer. The company will then make an initial payment to landowners and receive legal ownership rights, as the courts decide how much more, if any, to award landowners.

Also at today’s hearing, the judge is expected to appoint three commissioners in counties where land disputes remain. The commissioners will act like a jury as they contemplate a financial award. If the pipeline company or landowners do not like the damage award, they may appeal it in district court, said attorney Rod Krass, who is representing 50 landowners in their negotiations with the pipeline.

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