Moving Texas natural gas to markets that need it is critical to the long-term economic success of our state, and pipelines are the safest, most economical way to do that. At Kinder Morgan, we are committed to doing this in a safe and responsible manner.
Looking to boost Texas’ economy, create new jobs and provide added tax revenue locally, Kinder Morgan is moving ahead with the Permian Highway Pipeline, a $2 billion, 430-mile-long, 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline from West Texas to the growing Gulf Coast markets.
It’s worth noting how many government bodies have to approve this project. It’s not just the Texas Railroad Commission. It’s also the Texas General Land Office, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Historical Commission and, where applicable, Native American tribes. To ensure the water is protected, we get permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which consults with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on protecting endangered species. We also voluntarily conducted geological assessments for pipeline integrity and environmental considerations.
But we’re not just meeting the legal requirements here. Kinder Morgan’s engineers and environmental specialists developed this route after close examination of publicly available information, as well as aerial, environmental, cultural and civil survey data.
This route is based on detailed professional field surveys, desktop studies and literature and databases that locate sensitive features. We also mark wetlands and culturally important sites that need to be avoided during construction, and are working with a karst expert to mitigate potential subsurface impacts.
To reduce the amount of new pipeline needed, we seek to connect with existing pipelines and to align with existing rights of way and utility corridors. This is a huge reason why the Hill Country, with its existing subsurface pipelines already operating safely, is the best choice. The fact that 930 miles of existing pipelines have been under our feet in the Hill Country for generations demonstrates the pipeline industry’s commitment to safety and protecting the landscape.
In developing this pipeline route, we’ve exceeded what Texas law requires. We’ve met with more than 100 elected officials about the project, held five public meetings to discuss the project with Hill Country communities, and met with hundreds of individual landowners. We’ve made more than 150 route changes to address environmental concerns and to accommodate landowners in response to what we’ve learned from them and through land surveys. In short, we’ve come up with the best-possible route to connect to markets such as the Katy hub, industrial consumers in Houston and along the Gulf Coast, Texas power plants, intrastate pipelines and the like while minimizing disruption to landowners and avoiding environmental impacts.
As in any major infrastructure project, we know it’s impractical to expect universal agreement. Some say they’ll drop their objections if we make this someone else’s problem. That would be wrong. Moving the route wouldn’t just shift the pipeline onto their neighbors’ land but also aggravate the factors we’re trying to mitigate. Going north of Austin would affect many more landowners and create additional environmental impacts because of rocky soil that would require extensive blasting. Moving south of San Antonio would lengthen the route directly through the center of the Edwards Aquifer, an odd suggestion from those who claim they’re worried about the aquifer.
Kinder Morgan is committed to a process based on Texas values of respect, kindness and fairness to our neighbors. The constitutional eminent domain process protects both landowners and the public at large. Together, our collaborative work with landowners will always be in good faith to find more than fair common ground.
Fore is vice president for public affairs at Kinder Morgan.
