Clint Morse introduced our guest speaker, Jessica Carlsruher, who is the executive director of "TREAD", an organization who advocates for Texas Landowner's rights. The topic of the talk was the proposed Kinder Morgan gas pipeline that is proposed to be constructed through the hill country of Texas.
Unlike electrical utility lines, oil and gas pipelines in Texas are not required to go through a public process to help determine the route the pipelines will take. Oil and Gas companies can use imminent domain to condemn private land for the greater good.
TREAD is advocating for an oil and gas pipeline routing process similar to that used for PUC (Public Utility Commission) energy transmission lines. A lawsuit has been filed by concerned landowners, the City of Kyle and Hayes County to force the Texas Railroad Commission to implement a public and transparent process for oil and gas pipeline routing, and to stop the proposed pipeline by Kinder Morgan until that process is established.
