Hey, Charlie Johnson? Has Energy Transfer Partners offered you a deal like this to build the Dakota Access pipeline across your farm?
A landowner from southeast Iowa today said he has recorded proof a land agent for the proposed Bakken Pipeline offered to get him an 18-year-old prostitute if he’d grant access rights to his property so the pipeline may pass through.
…Hughie Tweedy of Montrose said he recorded two of his conversations with the land agent.
“On these recordings you will hear evidence of my senior pipeline representative offering me not once, not twice, but three times the sexual services of a woman,” Tweedy said, “the last time being a $1200 teenage prostitute” [O. Kay Henderson, “Southeast Iowa Landowner Accuses Pipeline Agent of Improper Offer,” Radio Iowa, 2015.05.11].
An Energy Partners spokesperson says the company is investigating. Tweedy is being pretty specific in his claim. In his Iowa statehouse press conference yesterday, he said this wild offer came not from some loose-cannon land agent, but someone closely involved with the company:
“Here is a quote from my recordings: ‘My family, my grandfather started the company, helped start the company back in the late ’80s and my grandfather, mother, my best friend, brother — we all work for ‘em.’ End of quote,” Tweedy said during the news conference.
Tweedy first met with this man last fall [Henderson, 2015.05.11].
Tweedy is a small farmer and liberatarian who already opposes the pipeline due to the use (I think he would say abuse) of eminent domain, as well as concerns about farmland and the environment:
I am 100% against eminent domain being used for this project, and after the way I’ve been treated, I’m not for this project at all after I’ve educated myself about the benefits against costs, and the cost of this and what might happen a leak or the damaging of the ag land….
I do not like eminent domain to even be used for railroads and highways, but I hate eminent domain to be used to give the profits to a private corporation at the expense of sacred family farms [Hughie Tweedy, audio clip, transcribed from “Iowa Landowner Gets Odd Proposal from Pipeline Company,” WNAX Radio, 2015.05.13].
Sleazy land agent tactics would just be frosting on the cake for opponents of the Dakota Access pipeline. Tweedy’s basic complaint about the pipeline itself is the call I’ve been waiting for South Dakota conservatives to make ever since TransCanada first got permission to use eminent domain for Keystone 1 in South Dakota: why are we letting private corporations, domestic and foreign, usurp the government’s power of eminent domain to build private projects, for private profit, at the expense of family farms?
There was a Kay Henderson at KCHE radio in Cherokee,iowa(man) when I wuz growing up. Could be related. Pipeline guys are using dirty tricks to get people to sign including saying their neighbors have signed when they haven’t. Nice outfit.
KayHenderson1O. Kay Henderson, News Director — Covering politicians was apparently Kay’s destiny from day one. She was born on election day. Her parents were relieved their bundle of joy was “okay” considering the newborn’s mom was 45 years old, so they named her “O. Kay.” She grew up on the family farm near Lenox, Iowa,
Sex and politics is always messy.
It just makes me wonder if John Thune, Mike Rounds, and Kristi Noem were granted sexual favors to support Dakota Access.
Being I was someone who unfortunately was in the path of KXL and was threatened with condemnation and how could I stand in the way of progress of this great nation I feel slighted. Not only was I paid a FRACTION of what the bakken pipeline has offered landowners I had NO idea of the possible fringe benefits I could have received…. I only thought I was getting screwed ……
Unfortunately most of western SD swoons at the thought of copulation with an oil company, Bret. Many are neighbors, friends and political caretakers. I wish there was more that I could do for you, but I will not stop doing all that I can do.
Like Bret I am also on the Keystone XL route. When TransCanada told me that they had the power of eminent domain and they let me know that if I didn’t sign their easement then they could screw me I evidently misunderstood.
Tweedy was also accused of booby trapping his farm to keep out the pipeline people. No shortage of weasels, meaning no disrespect to weasels. http://www.dailygate.com/news/article_d39454be-f98b-11e4-87ee-f3555e8e86a9.html
“Why are we letting private corporations, domestic and foreign, usurp the government’s power of eminent domain to build private projects, for private profit, at the expense of family farms?” ~ Quite simply, because Americans For Prosperity aka The Koch Brothers will stop at nothing or stoop to the bottom of the outhouse or exploit women to make a few billion more dollars selling Alberta tar sands (Koch’s are the largest foreign investor in Alberta tar sands petro sludge) to the Chinese energy demands!!!
Bret, you make me recall the comment made by Mike Sibson of Miner County, whose land is crossed by Keystone 1: “I’m one of the only guys who can say he had a 2000-mile pipeline shoved up his ass.”
Interesting counter-allegation, Susan. To weigh these allegations, consider that the booby-trap allegation came from an anonymous caller. Tweedy calls that allegation mere rumor. We have seen no corroborating evidence. The prostitute allegation comes from a named source. Energy Partners has neither confirmed nor denied the allegation. We have seen no corroborating evidence.
This recording could be a fake. Mr. Tweedy would only allow reporters to listen via head sets so they could not record it. Mr. Tweedy is also a opennent of the pipeline. The story is in the Sioux City paper today. It may be the opponents are using the dirty tricks. We will see if charges are filed and against who.
Good morning, Cory. A shout out to you on your Mike Sibson story. It is one of the best pieces of journalism you’ll find anywhere. It needs a constant review so we don’t forget.
A name to never forget would be Mike Rounds allowing and working tirelessly behind the scenes to lube that pipe job on Mike Sibson. Another very big reason Bernie Sanders is right on the Pacific Trade agreement before we’ve completly sold our constitution down the Ol muddy.
Likely related:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/05/12/fossil-fuel-extraction-dangers-native-american-and-womens-organizations-request-un-help
I think it all comes down to trust. Who would you trust more, a local landowner neighbor or a foreign national company hell bent on making billions? If you think the oil companies are not up to no good, then why do they forbid the filming and reporting of oil spills generated by their mass produced foreign made products?
Thanks, Les! That interview with the Sibsons on their farms was one of the most important moments of my blog life. They opened their land and their story to me; I felt a strong obligation to get their story right. Mike and Sue made clear the full costs we impose on our farmers and landowners when we force them to accept pipelines like Keystone and Dakota Access.
Wow: maybe the prostitution offer was really part of a sting conducted in cahoots with the FBI, which an eager reader notes has been revealed to have been conducting illegal spying on opponents of Keystone XL in Texas:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/12/revealed-fbi-spied-keystone-xl-opponents?CMP=share_btn_tw
We still don’t have documents on Farmer Tweedy’s alleged booby traps or the tape of the hooker offer, but the UK Guardian has the FBI documents on the illegal spying.