Midship Pipeline Continues Cleanup In Oklahoma Amid Ongoing Investigation into Buried Debris

The Midship Pipeline in Oklahoma runs more than 200 miles underneath the ground, but what’s coming to the surface has landowners in an ongoing battle with the company.

Midship Pipeline says it has restored hundreds of properties since installing the pipeline back in 2019. However, some farmers continue to see debris cropping up in their fields. “It's kind of shocking how bad it actually is,” said Robert Squires, an information manager for Central Land Consulting.

Squires says CLC is investigating hundreds of properties along the Midship Pipeline in Oklahoma.

“It's like a lumberyard buried in the ground in this Midship right of way,” said Squires. “There's not a single property that we have investigated that was devoid of debris.” 

Annette Schweitzer and a group of Oklahoma farmers met us out on her farm near Calumet to show us just what he’s talking about, debris left behind like cut metal piping and rods to huge pieces of wood and rocks. The company is currently on site trying to collect all the buried debris.

“This is the fifth time they've been in here to rectify,” Schweitzer said. “Even after they dig it up you can go back and still get the little pieces of wood.”

“In the last four months, we found off the top of my head about five thousand instances of construction debris,” Squires added.

Squires said CLC has filed approximately 938 reports and complaints to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or FERC, since 2019 and even held a congressional subcommittee hearing in 2021.

“At the onset we had about a hundred landowners, and I’d say about half of those their issues have been resolved and they've been able to fix the properties themselves,” Squires said. However, the subcommittee has since dissolved leaving the rest of the landowners still waiting for their properties to be restored.

“I don't know whether it's motivated politically or monetarily, I really don't care I just want this resolved,” said Terry Luber, who owns land in Kingfisher County. “I want to be able to fix my land.”

In December of last year FERC finally acted ordering Midship to explain why they shouldn't be found in violation of the commission's regulations. According to Squires, that investigation is complete but sealed.

“I'm not against oil I’m not against gas I’ve got them on my place, I just want to be treated fair and I don't want my farm to be abused,” said Mark Morris, a landowner in Grady County.

In a statement, Midship said “We deeply value the communities where we operate. We have been working with landowners to diligently and safely restore land along the route in close consultation with all relevant regulatory bodies.” Midship Pipeline does have crews on Schweitzer’s farm to continue the cleanup, a task that she and the other farmers say is never ending.

“A lot of these landowners have been waiting around four or five years to get their properties restored,” Squires said. “There's absolutely no chance anywhere of giving up now.”

Several landowners have submitted complaints to the Attorney General’s Office.