What have we learned since January, when Kinder Morgan's land agents started knocking on doors, seeking permission to survey land? We learned, early on, that the company seeks information it can use to convince federal regulators that its proposed Northeast Energy Direct project deserves a "certificate of public convenience and necessity." As it turns out, such a certificate would allow Kinder Morgan to take property by eminent domain from hundreds of landowners so that it can connect Marcellus shale gas to the existing Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, which runs to Canada, where export projects are under way.