LAKE STEVENS — Some property owners here plan to fight — all the way to court if necessary — a proposal for a 9-mile natural gas pipeline that would traverse their neighborhood before connecting to north Everett.

"The people out here will tell them to go to hell," said 65-year-old Jim Tribon, who owns land along Highway 92 and Catherine Creek. "I’ll tell them the same thing. The only place they’ll see me is in court. We probably won’t win, but we’ll slow it down."

Williams Northwest Pipeline officials will begin discussions with the 17 landowners in about three weeks. Independent appraisals will be made to determine the value of the parcels needed for the pipeline, said Bev Chipman, a Williams spokeswoman.

Williams plans to build the Everett Delta Project, a 16-inch diameter pipeline, for Puget Sound Energy, which wants to have the pipeline operational by the winter of 2004 to help maintain pressure in the company’s natural gas network and meet future demand in Snohomish County.

The company recently amended its proposal for a small portion of the route that crosses Catherine Creek.

"There’s too many rocks there and gravel; it’s unstable," Chipman said. "You can’t get through the rock."

Some landowners asked Williams to cut a trench through the creek, but that would require permits from state and federal agencies that govern wetlands, she said. The company has agreed to discuss the request, but approval is unlikely, Chipman said.

The 9-mile pipeline will connect with William’s existing system near Lake Stevens. From that point, it will travel west and southwest crossing under I-5 and the Snohomish River to a PSE pipeline.

Property owners have several fears about the pipeline, including the potential danger, a decrease in property values and that they won’t be fairly compensated for land that would become unusable. Also, they fear they may be forced to sell their land because parcels could be taken under eminent domain, which allows for the taking of private property for public use with reasonable compensation.

Others are angry that the pipeline is near the Centennial Trail, and that it wasn’t planned for a utility corridor along Highway 92.

"They already had the permits in hand (to put the pipeline along Highway 92) and let them expire and went in a different direction," Tribon said.

"It’s beautiful land. They’re going to go through here and gut this property, and go right down the center of Callow Road," he said.

"The pipeline will be three feet in the ground. We’ll never get sewer and water out here. It’s all private wells and septic tanks. We’re trying to get somebody to champion our cause."

He and others have lobbied county and state officials but with little success, Tribon said.

"There’s so much misinformation that has been put out on this pipeline it’s amazing," he said.

"The basic concerns are the taking of private property.

"We know you have to sacrifice for the many. What we don’t understand is why we always have to be the ones to make the sacrifice."

Next month, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will conduct a meeting to gather public comment. The date and location hasn’t been set yet. The commission is supposed to make its decision early next year.

Reporter Cathy Logg: 425-339-3437 or logg@heraldnet.com.

More information about the project is available at www.everettdelta.twc.com.