TEXAS, USA — The Permian Basin Pipeline, intended to transport natural gas across over 400 miles, could potentially be blocked in court after an environmentalist group filed a lawsuit against it.
The group alleges a federal agency ignored a court order that could have vacated permitting, allowing the line to be built over bodies of water as it stretches from West Texas to the Gulf Coast.
The Sierra Club filed the lawsuit on April 30 after a judge in Montana struck down the Army Corps of Engineers’ issuance of Nationwide Permit 12. The permit “authorized discharges of dredged or fill material” into certain waters as needed by pipeline projects.
The judge who struck down the permit said it violated the endangered species act and that the corps had not consulted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2017 when it reissued the five-year permit.
The Permian Pipeline, planned and put together by Kinder Morgan, would stretch from the Waha Hub near Pecos County all the way to Katy. It will also be able to access connections to export and refinery markets on the coast.
The project, which would cost around $2 billion, began construction in fall 2019. Kinder Morgan anticipated the pipeline to be in service by early 2021.
The Permian Pipeline would have a capacity of 2.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day through the 41-inch pipeline.
This isn't the first time the pipeline has met backlash from environmentalist groups. Kinder Morgan settled with the City of Kyle in October for $2.7 million to protect the town from undue harm associated with the pipeline.
Additionally, the Hays County Commission voted on April 21 to rescind construction permits for project construction under county roadways after the pipeline caused a spill in Blanco County.
The Hays County Transportation Department told Kinder Morgan to pause the work until the Hays County Commission Court approved a new policy.
Kinder Morgan was also required to comply with a notice of violation issued by the Texas Railroad Commission. The company needed to provide a plan to avoid groundwater contamination in the future as well as giving Hays County a geology report for each county road crossing.
For now, the fate of the Permian Pipeline is uncertain while the lawsuit moves forward.
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