Vermont Gas Systems says it's offering landowners who have not reached an agreement with the company over easements for a natural gas pipeline in Addison County the chance to negotiate through a third party mediator.
The company says it has reached agreements with about 70 percent of landowners along the pipeline's route from Chittenden County to Middlebury. It says it's in productive negotiations with another 20 percent of landowners and says about 10 percent — or 20 landowners — may not reach agreements.
Vermont Gas said Tuesday that it's offering a neutral third party mediation process to those landowners to avoid litigated eminent domain proceedings.
In later phases, the company wants to extend the pipeline west from Middlebury to Ticonderoga, New York, and south to Rutland.
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