Florence land owners contesting natural gas pipeline installation
FLORENCE, Texas - Gene Theriot lives off a quiet county road in Florence, but he knows some progress and change is necessary.
"We’re all, I would say, civically minded," said Theriot. "We don’t mind any utility that benefits a community as a whole."
But this is a different story.
"Me and a lot of people in this area are confused," said Theriot.
About a year and a half ago, Theriot and some of his neighbors, including David Koenig, received a notice that the state condemned their land for a natural gas pipeline.
It's called the Matterhorn Express Pipeline, and it runs from West Texas to Katy, a city just outside of Houston.
It crosses through Williamson County to get there.
"My grudge is I tried to get them to move it to the edge of my property," said Koenig. "They didn’t. They wouldn’t move it. They wouldn't change it. They wouldn’t move it. It cuts us right through the center."
The 42-inch steel pipe brings concern about land value and safety.
"Now we've got an easement of a company that can send people onto our property anytime they want," said Koenig.
"If something was to ignite the gas, it’s very possible my wife and I, my dogs, and my two cats would be vaporized while we sleep," said Theriot.
Theriot measured the distance between the pipeline and his home. He said about 350 feet stood between them.
Matterhorn Express told FOX 7 the distance is 425 feet away.
"The biggest thing isn’t the land, it’s definitely not the money," said Theriot. "It’s that fact that a for-profit company was given condemnation rights to blatantly cross our property."
Theriot and Koenig are now taking the company to court to ask them to find another way to get the pipeline to Houston.
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"Our legislators, our representatives and the people that we depend on to protect us from this type of stuff from happening will take into account there’s people out here who’ve worked their whole lives to buy something to call their own, and they randomly give it to a for-profit company," said Theriot.
About two years ago, a similar situation happened in Circleville, Texas.
At that time, Cody McGregor, spokesperson for Matterhorn Express, sent the following statement to FOX 7 Austin:
"The safety of the communities, people, and the environment is at the heart of our project. We are committed to being good neighbors and incorporating feedback from all relevant stakeholders into both the proposed route and the project’s overall design."
FOX 7 Austin reached out again for this story. They sent back this statement:
"The safety of our people, local communities, and the environment is our highest priority. We are committed to being good neighbors, fairly compensating landowners for the use of their land and returning property to as close to previous conditions as possible upon completion of the project. Further, the oil and natural gas industry is highly regulated, and our team of safety and environmental professionals strives to exceed regulated standards following and implementing stringent safety programs and practices throughout the construction and operation of the project."