Activist groups sponsor town hall to discuss pipeline
Hill Country Alliance Executive Director Katherine Romans joins other opponents of the Permian Highway Pipeline in their belief that a better route either north or south of the projected path would have been a better option. Courtesy photo
LPR staff report
Two activist groups have organized the first event in Caldwell County that will provide a chance for citizens to discuss and learn more about the Permian Highway Pipeline, which will transport natural gas from West Texas to the Gulf Coast.
The town hall meeting will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14 at the Lions Community Center at 220 Bufkin Lane in Lockhart.
Sponsors for the event include the Tread Coalition for Landowner Rights and the Hill Country Alliance.
No representatives from Kinder Morgan – the company that will build and operate the 432-mile pipeline with EagleClaw Mainstream ventures – are expected to attend or speak at the town hall.
The event is not affiliated with open houses Kinder Morgan has organized in Hays, Blanco and Gillespie counties and says it plans to hold in Caldwell County.
“We heard about it but don’t have any details,” said Allen Fore, vice president of public affairs for Kinder Morgan. “We were not invited to participate.”
A brochure for the town hall indicates the meeting will focus on a number of concerns people have voiced about the pipeline, including reduced property values, potential hazards and the possibility eventual negative effects on the environment.
“We are your neighbors who have united to stand up to a powerful energy company,” the brochure reads.
Katherine Romans, executive director of the Hill Country Alliance, said opponents of the pipeline maintain that the company has not done enough to explore routes that travel through less densely populated areas.
“There have been suggestions that Kinder Morgan explore either a northern route or southern option along I-90,” Romans said. “I don’t believe that either rose to the level of thorough examination in Kinder Morgan’s exploratory process.”
