Texas Hill Country News

Pipeline Through the Texas Hill Country Gets the Green Light in Court

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Despite the controversy, community information sessions, and petitions, a recent ruling by a Travis County judge has just cleared the way for a natural gas pipeline through the Texas Hill Country. The ruling stated that construction can proceed, despite a lawsuit by property owners, Hays County, and the City of Kyle to stop the 430-mile, $2 billion Kinder Morgan project. With respect to the decision, Travis Mitchell, the Mayor of Kyle, Texas, said, “In the State of Texas oil and gas reign supreme.”

Ruling that the pipeline developers weren’t in violation of state laws, Judge Lora Livingston gave the green light to the Permian Highway Pipeline. “The court finds no authority for the proposition that the legislature has granted authority to the Commission to oversee the rights granted,” she said. Judge Livingston also granted the request by Kinder Morgan to dismiss it from the lawsuit. In the meantime, landowners and local governments are determining whether to appeal. Pipeline construction is scheduled to begin in October of this year. Mayor Mitchell told cbsaustin.com, “Kinder Morgan is routing through the City of Kyle for one reason only, it makes them the absolute most money possible.”

Pipeline Through the Texas Hill Country Gets the Green Light in Court

Photo: Pixabay.com

The Permian Highway natural gas pipeline is proposed to run from West Texas to the Gulf Coast. It’s scheduled to be routed through four counties through Central Texas, which has caused some dramatic discussions. Mayor Mitchell expressed concern that the pipeline could impact four planned residential and commercial developments. If developers chose to downsize or pull out of the projects, “It will cause us to lose millions of dollars that we’ve invested in infrastructure for water, wastewater and roads,” Mayor Mitchell told cbsaustin.com.

Kinder Morgan continues to state that the proposed route for the natural gas pipeline was carefully selected in order to impact as few landowners as possible. “We’re following the laws of the State of Texas, always have been,” Allen Fore, Kinder Morgan’s Vice President of Public Affairs, told cbsaustin.com. The company continues to make an effort to work with Hays County, the City of Kyle, and area landowners for the purpose of reaching an agreement.