A federal judge has sided with Houston pipeline operator Kinder Morgan in a fight over building a $2 billion natural gas pipeline through the scenic and environmentally sensitive Texas Hill Country.
In a 29-page decision handed down late last week, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pitman in Austin struck down a request to issue an injunction against the company’s Permian Highway Pipeline.
As part of a federal lawsuit, the cities of Austin and San Marcos, Hays and Travis counties, the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District and four landowners sought a preliminary injunction against the pipeline project which is being built through Texas Hill Country and over the Edwards Aquifer, an underground reservoir home to several threatened and endangered species of salamander, fish and insects.
Kinder Morgan is not out of the woods yet. Although opponents lost their request for the preliminary injunction, the lawsuit they filed remains in court. Meanwhile, the company, its subcontractors and the project face a separate federal lawsuit filed by five Hill Country landowners.
“At a time where we as a country are facing uncertain outcomes, it’s reassuring to see critical infrastructure projects like the Permian Highway Pipeline avoid falling victim to litigious activists seeking to undermine the energy industry,” Texans For Natural Gas spokeswoman Elizabeth Caldwell said. “Now more than ever, Texans need the comfort of knowing that the industry that helps fund our schools, pay our teachers and fill the coffers of Texas’ Rainy Day Fund maintains its license to operate, and this ruling does just that.”
For more on the story, please visit the Houston Chronicle.