WIMBERLY, Texas -- The community of Wimberley gathered Tuesday night to discuss Kinder Morgan's plan to build a 430-mile natural gas pipeline across Texas.

  • Pipeline would be 430 miles long
  • Kinder Morgan to host several open houses
  • Company may use eminent domain

More than 300 concerned Wimberley residents came out to the community meeting Tuesday, which was organized by Hays County Commissioner Lon Shell.

"It's what I expected," Shell said. "This is an amazing community, they're extremely intelligent, always engaged, always paying attention, and always there for us when we need them."

The meeting highlighted key concerns like property rights of landowners, and environmental effects of transporting natural gas through a 42-inch pipeline in Hays County. Kinder Morgan has released a preliminary route of the Permian Highway Pipeline to the public, but it's still in the process of negotiating agreements with landowners in the area.​ 

If necessary, Kinder Morgan will be able to use the power of eminent domain to start construction.​

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"It's an important issue. We're just concerned here locally about what it means to us and the impacts that it'll have to us and we want to mitigate those negative impacts however we can," Shell said.

A representative from Kinder Morgan was also in attendance. He said the company is attentive to these concerns, and similar questions have been asked about previous pipelines.

"What I want to happen is that folks know that we're listening. Not only that we're listening, but that we're responding and there are things we can do to specifically address concerns that we're brought up tonight,” said vice president of Public Affairs, Allen Fore. 

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Citizens will be able to voice specific questions to Kinder Morgan representatives at the company's upcoming open houses. Wimberley is slated for the first meeting on Feb. 12 at the Wimberley Community Center.

"I think a lot of the questions that were asked, we can be responsive to in a meaningful way with detail, which I think is what people are looking for. And that's on us to do that," Fore said.

Kinder Morgan will address the communities of Kyle on Feb. 13 at Wallace Middle, Blanco on Feb. 20 at the Old Blanco County Courthouse, and Fredericksburg on Feb. 21 at the Gillespie Co. Fairgrounds. All of the meetings are held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.