Lawsuit filed in opposition to pipeline in Hays County

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - A lawsuit was filed Monday in an attempt to stop a pipeline from being built across Hays County.

The lawsuit was announced in Kyle where city and county officials along with three landowners said they've joined an environmental group in opposition to the Permian Highway pipeline project.

The route for the 400-mile natural gas pipeline, which is being built by Kinder Morgan, runs from West Texas to just south of Katy.

Those filing the lawsuit claim the permit process with the state is flawed and doesn't give landowners any say as to where the pipeline will go.

"A simple comparison would be with an electric utility that wanted to build a transmission line,” plaintiff attorney Clark Richards said. “If they wanted to put a transmission line they would propose a route to the public utilities commission, and the public utilities commission would hold hearings. All of the land owners and affected individuals and entities would be given an opportunity to speak at that hearing and discuss alternative routes, opposition to that proposed route."

But, a spokesperson for Kinder Morgan says they are negotiating with about 1000 landowners and that the process is fair for both sides.

"What is this about? This is about NIMBY-ism,” Allen Fore with Kinder Morgan said. “It's about getting the benefits of the energy industry in the area but a few landowners saying 'move it somewhere else, move it on other landowners and we'll be fine with it.'"

The plan is to start construction this fall and have the pipeline operational by late 2020.