HAYS COUNTY, Texas – Plans for a 430-mile natural gas pipeline are on hold while some of the affected landowners are fighting back.
- Permian Highway Pipeline plans on hold
- Some landowners are fighting back
- Company can take land through eminent domain
Kinder Morgan’s proposed Permian Highway Pipeline would transport natural gas from Waha in West Texas to the coast.
On Wednesday, Hays County Commissioners held a second county-wide meeting at Hays High School to discuss the proposed pipeline with concerned residents.
Kinder Morgan claims they will not start construction on the pipeline until all of the affected landowners have signed on to the project.
READ MORE | Natural Gas Pipeline Project Concerning Central Texas Landowners
Former Kyle Mayor Lucy Johnson, whose family owns the Halifax Ranch, says Kinder Morgan surveyed her land in December, before her family had a chance to fight it. Johnson says in the last few months, she has been overwhelmed by the amount of support and teamwork Hays County has shown to fight the pipeline’s route.
"It's actually been wonderful. There's been folks that we would've never expected to reach out to us and we found that it's a popular issue among more conservative property owners and landowners’ rights groups as well as environmental groups on the left. So we feel we have a strong coalition," said Johnson.
Kinder Morgan Vice President of Public Affairs Allen Fore says a major re-route of the original plan is unlikely, but the company has already made hundreds of minor adjustments at the request of some landowners. Overall, the company has the ability to take the land it needs through eminent domain.