Pipeline company files eminent domain lawsuits against Big Bend landowners
Land disputes involving the Trans-Pecos Pipeline have made their way to district court. At least 12 eminent domain lawsuits have been filed in Brewster and Presidio counties by the company behind the planned 143-mile, 42-inch natural gas pipeline. Under eminent domain, the government can seize private land for public use, provided the property owner is compensated at "fair market value," explained Steve Anderson, an Alpine-based attorney and member of the Big Bend Conservation Alliance (BBCA). However, he questioned the validity…