Kinder Morgan wins in fight with landowners

Opponents of a natural gas pipeline that will stretch from West Texas through the Hill Country to the Texas Gulf Coast have lost their court battle to keep Kinder Morgan Inc. from making its own decisions about where to build the pipeline. Construction of the pipeline, which is estimated to cost $2 billion, is slated to begin in the fall. Several landowners as well as the city of Kyle and Hays County filed suit to try to win a ruling that would put determination of the pipeline route in the hands of the Railroad Commission. Travis County District Judge Lora Livingston ruled Tuesday that Kinder Morgan, not the commission, has the authority to determine the route of the pipeline. The group that calls itself TREAD – Texas Real Estate Advocacy and Defense Coalition – issued the following statement Tuesday night: “We respect but disagree with Judge Livingston’s ruling. We continue to believe the Texas Constitution does not allow for the delegation of this awesome power to a private company without oversight.” The statement went on to say that TREAD was weighing its options for an appeal and considering other legal venues “to challenge this severely problematic route.”