Informational meetings shall be held for any proposed pipeline
project five miles or more in length, including both the current project and
future anticipated extensions, and which is to be operated at a pressure in
excess of 150 pounds per square inch. A separate informational meeting shall be
held in each county in which real property or property rights would be
affected.
(1)
Time frame for
holding meeting. Informational meetings shall be held not less than 30
days nor more than two years prior to the filing of the petition for pipeline
permit.
(2)
Facilities. A pipeline company shall be responsible for all
negotiations and compensation for a suitable facility to be used for each
informational meeting, including but not limited to a building or facility
which is in substantial compliance with any applicable requirements of the
Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design, including both
Title II regulations at 28
CFR part
36, subpart D, and the 2004 Americans with
Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines at 36
CFR part
1191, appendices B and
D (as amended through October 13, 2021), where such a building or facility is
reasonably available.
(3)
Location. The informational meeting location shall be
reasonably accessible to all persons who may be affected by the granting of a
permit or who have an interest in the proposed pipeline.
(4)
Commission approval. A
pipeline company proposing to schedule an informational meeting shall file a
request to schedule the informational meeting and shall include a proposed date
and time for the informational meeting, an alternate time and date, and a
description of the proposed project and map of the route. The pipeline company
shall be notified within ten days of the filing of the request whether the
request is approved or alternate times and dates are required. Once a date and
time for the informational meeting have been approved, the pipeline company
shall file the location of the informational meeting and a copy of the pipeline
company's presentation with the commission. The pipeline company shall file a
copy of its presentation with the commission 14 days prior to the date the
informational meeting is to be held.
(5)
Notices. Announcement by
mailed and published notice of each informational meeting shall be given to
persons as listed on the tax assessment rolls as responsible for payment of
real estate taxes imposed on the property and those persons in possession of or
residing on the property in the corridor in which the pipeline company intends
to seek easements.
a. The notice shall include
the following:
(1) The name of the pipeline
company;
(2) The pipeline company's
principal place of business;
(3)
The general description and purpose of the proposed project;
(4) The general nature of the right-of-way
desired;
(5) The possibility that
the right-of-way may be acquired by condemnation if approved by the
commission;
(6) A map showing the
route of the proposed project;
(7)
A description of the process used by the commission in making a decision on
whether to approve a permit, including the right to take property by eminent
domain;
(8) A statement that an
affected landowner and any other affected person with a legal interest in the
property, or residing on the property, has the right to be present at the
informational meeting and to file objections with the commission;
(9) The following statement: "Persons with
disabilities requiring assistive services or devices to observe or participate
should contact the commission at (515) 725-7300 in advance of the scheduled
date to request accommodations";
(10) Designation of the date, time, and place
of the meeting; and
(11) A copy of
the statement of damage claims as required by paragraph
13.3(3)"b."
b. The pipeline company shall cause a written
copy of the meeting notice to be served, by certified United States mail with
return receipt requested, on all persons as listed on the tax assessment rolls
as responsible for payment of real estate taxes imposed on the property and
persons in possession of or residing on the property, whose addresses are
known. The certified meeting notice shall be deposited in the United States
mail not less than 30 days prior to the date of the meeting.
c. The pipeline company shall cause the
meeting notice, including the map, to be published once in a newspaper of
general circulation in each county where the pipeline is proposed to be located
at least one week and not more than three weeks prior to the date of the
meeting. Publication shall be considered as notice to affected persons listed
on the tax assessment rolls as responsible for paying the real estate taxes
imposed on the property and persons in possession of or residing on the
property whose addresses are not known, provided a good faith effort to obtain
the address can be demonstrated by the pipeline company. The map used in the
published notice shall clearly delineate the pipeline route.
d. The pipeline company shall file prior to
the informational meeting an affidavit that describes the good faith effort the
pipeline company undertook to locate the addresses of all affected persons. The
affidavit shall be signed by a corporate officer or an attorney representing
the pipeline company.
(6)
Personnel. The pipeline company shall provide qualified
personnel to present the following information at the informational meeting:
a. Service requirements and planning which
have resulted in the proposed project.
b. When the pipeline will be
constructed.
c. In general terms,
the elements involved in pipeline construction.
d. In general terms, the rights which the
pipeline company will seek to acquire through easements.
e. Procedures to be followed in contacting
the affected persons for specific negotiations in acquiring voluntary
easements.
f. Methods and factors
used in arriving at an offered price for voluntary easements including the
range of cash amount for each component.
g. Manner in which voluntary easement
payments are made, including discussion of conditional easements, signing fees,
and time of payment.
h. Other
factors or damages not included in the easement for which compensation is made,
including features of interest to affected persons but not limited to
computation of amounts and manner of payment.
(7)
Notice to county board of
supervisors. The pipeline company shall send notice of the request for
an informational meeting to the county board of supervisors in each county
where the proposed pipeline is to be located. The pipeline company shall
request from the board of supervisors the name of the county inspector, a
professional engineer who shall conduct the on-site inspection required by Iowa
Code section 479B.20(2). The
pipeline company shall provide the name and contact information of the county
inspector to the commission, landowners, and other affected persons at the
meeting, if known.