BUFFALO, N.Y. — Lia Oprea's family trust owns a large piece of land in the town of Sardinia in southern Erie County. Known as the Rider-Hopkins Farm and Olmsted Camp, it's on the National Register of Historic Places.

Oprea and others were in court Friday trying to keep their land, as National Fuel sues owners who have refused to sign over use of their property for the Northern Access Project. The company plans to build a two-foot wide, 96-mile long pipeline to carry natural gas to vareity of places in North America.

National Fuel states that out of more than 500 affected landowners, only 16 have yet to agree on a price to use their land. Oprea says she has concerns about the environmental impact, and potential loss of value to their property.

"We're a little tired of companies seizing our land for their private profit and treating Western New York like we're out in the middle of nowhere when this is a beautiful part of the world," she said.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has already granted National Fuel the right to use the land through eminent domain. However, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation denied a required water quality certificate, meaning construction can't begin yet.

"We think it is illogical that they are trying to take our land for a project that doesn't exist," Oprea said.

Attorneys for National Fuel said they plan to reapply for the permit. A judge held off on making a decision Friday, as the two sides discuss an agreement that would return the land rights to the current owners, if the company does not complete the project. That compromise could come in the next month.

No matter what the outcome is, Oprea says they plan to keep fighting in court as long as they can, even as legal expenses grow.

"We're going to keep it up.We're going to keep our Western New York looking the way it does right now, which is beautiful," she said."

National Fuel spokesperson Karen Merkel said in a statement:

"To say that National Fuel intends to seize land and strip land owners of their livelihood, their heritage and their future is not accurate."

The company also said it's only paying to build the pipeline underground, and owners can continue to use the land above however they choose.