US Nitrogen Settlement Includes Leases

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

The settlement of lawsuits between Eastern Tennessee landowners and US Nitrogen LLC includes leases apparently for the disputed land on which part of a 12-mile pipeline was laid.
Jerry Laughlin, who represented the Industrial Development Board of Greeneville and Greene County that the agency had to sign off on the leases as "a nominal party" to the agreement.
He said the parties had agreed that the exact terms of the settlement would be kept confidential.
The settlement of three pending lawsuits related to the US Nitrogen pipeline was apparently reached late last month.
Laughlin indicated that a formal vote of the IDB would not be necessary.
Landowners, including Don Bible and Jack Renner, had challenged the legality of the permit granted to US Nitrogen by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. They also charged that US Nitrogen trespassed on their property when the pipeline was installed.
Laughlin said in an email response to questions that the IDB was asked to sign the lease as a nominal party. He added that since the agreement contains no obligations for the IDB but they are necessary "in order for US Nitrogen to fulfill its obligations to the IDB to maintain the IDB pipelines."
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