Texas Railroad Commission investigating Kinder Morgan for ‘multiple’ erosion complaints

May 28, 2020
Groundwater Resources

The railroad commission said the complaints are regarding erosion control, and spokesperson R.J. DeSilva says “our investigation of the complaints is to ensure Kinder Morgan is in compliance with those commission rules.” He said the complaints starting coming in May 13. Following severe weather on May 15 and 16, Myra Corbett, a landowner in Blanco County, said her land has been affected by runoff and erosion due to the pipeline. She said she and another Blanco County landowner filed complaints…

Kinder Morgan crew punctures Vista Ridge water pipeline

May 26, 2020
Groundwater Resources

A crew working on an energy pipeline punctured the Vista Ridge water pipeline in Caldwell County Thursday while digging in the area, said a San Antonio Water System official. The crew members were working on the Permian Highway Pipeline, a natural gas pipeline for Kinder Morgan, a Houston energy infrastructure company. The Vista Ridge pipeline pumps in water to San Antonio from underground aquifers just northeast of Austin. Read more from Jackie Wang with The Rivard Report here.

Blanco landowner concerned about stormwater runoff from Kinder Morgan pipeline construction

May 19, 2020
Groundwater Resources

Following severe weather in Central Texas Friday night into Saturday morning, a Blanco landowner said her property has continued to be impacted by runoff from nearby construction of Kinder Morgan’s Permian Highway Pipeline. The pipeline will be 42 inches wide and is slated to travel from Waha in West Texas to the Katy area, passing through the Hill Country. Myra Corbett, who lives on a property in Blanco, told KXAN Saturday morning that she has continued to see mud and…

Montana judge upholds ruling that canceled Keystone XL pipeline permit

May 13, 2020
Habitat Conservation Plans

A federal judge in Montana on Monday upheld his ruling last month that canceled an environmental permit for the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline and threatened other oil and natural gas pipeline projects with delays… Morris said that the Army Corps did not adequately consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on risks to endangered species and habitat when it renewed the permit in 2017. To allow the agency to continue authorizing new oil and gas pipeline construction “could…

Opinion: Hays County’s watersheds are under attack

May 11, 2020
Groundwater Resources

It is undeniable—the Austin area is booming. More people have moved to Travis County and its surrounding area, including Hays County. As populations grow, so must infrastructure, but matters become complicated in ecologically sensitive areas like the one we call home. The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, has put forward a plan to address the transportation needs of the Austin area over the next 25 years. Both the Edwards Aquifer and the Blanco River watersheds will be negatively…

Opinion: In Permian Highway Pipeline fight, property rights are the answer

May 7, 2020
Land Conservation and Stewardship

There are few things Texans value more than property rights and few things closer to our collective imagination than iconic Texas landscapes and the wildlife that fills them. An ongoing battle over a pipeline in the scenic Hill Countrythreatens both – and represents a chance to bring together some odd bedfellows to fix it. When pipeline operator Kinder Morgan announced plans to build a pipeline through the Hill Country, environmentalists, local officials, and property owners were concerned. They sued to…

$Sierra Club lawsuit challenges construction of Permian Highway fracked gas pipeline$

Sierra Club lawsuit challenges construction of Permian Highway fracked gas pipeline

May 4, 2020
Legislature and Regulation

The Sierra Club filed a lawsuit today against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permitting the ongoing construction of the 428-mile Permian Highway fracked gas pipeline, despite a federal court order vacating the nationwide permit on which the pipeline’s 449 water crossings are based, and for not performing the environmental review required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Permian Highway Pipeline would carry fracked gas across Texas from the Permian Basin, through the Texas Hill Country, to…

KXAN investigation uncovers safety concerns over pipes used in Kinder Morgan’s Permian Highway Pipeline

April 28, 2020
Groundwater Resources

A tip led us to a storage yard holding hundreds of pipeline segments in Blanco. The segments will become the Permian Highway Pipeline. The group fighting the pipeline is concerned the anti-corrosion coating on the pipes has been outside, uncovered for far too long. Kinder Morgan — the pipeline owner — tells KXAN its handling of the pipeline construction will “meet or exceed state and federal requirements.” Our investigation found there are no regulations to determine how long is too…

Permission revoked by County for pipeline to cross under roadways

April 26, 2020
Groundwater Resources

The commissioners court on Tuesday voted to revoke permission for the energy giant to cross any roads in the county. The unanimous vote came after a lengthy executive session and the motion was made by Pct. 3 Commissioner Lon Shell. It was in Shell’s precinct that contractors on the Permian Highway Pipeline (PHP) hit a karst feature on March 28 while attempting a horizontal bore under the Blanco River. That resulted in the spillage of thousands of gallons of drilling…

TESPA issues notice of intent to sue Permian Highway Pipeline for contamination of an underground source of drinking water

April 9, 2020
Groundwater Resources

Press Release: Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association & Wimberley Valley Watershed Association – For Immediate Release: April 8, 2020 Attorneys acting on behalf of the Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association (TESPA) today issued a notice of intent to sue the Permian Highway Pipeline LLC (PHP) and its managing partner, Kinder Morgan, for contamination of an underground source of drinking water as a result of PHP construction operations in Blanco County on March 28, 2020. Of primary concern, and contrary to…