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Hays County joins lawsuit seeking to stop Kinder Morgan from building pipeline on property owners' land

Construction of the pipeline is already underway in West Texas. It will carry natural gas from there all the way to an area near Katy.

HAYS COUNTY, Texas — The Hays County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously voted to join a contemplated lawsuit seeking to stop Kinder Morgan from building a pipeline across property owners' land.

Hays County believes the long-contested Permian Highway Pipeline would cause damage to environmentally sensitive areas.

“The action taken by the Court today will continue our fight on behalf of the private property rights of the citizens of Hays County,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Walt Smith said.

The City of San Marcos, Travis County, the City of Austin, the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District and interested landowners have all joined the contemplated suit, which names the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Kinder Morgan and its affiliates as violating the Endangered Species Act.

RELATED: Kinder Morgan faces new lawsuit from Hill Country property owners regarding pipeline construction

“Our natural resources – our aquifers, rivers, creeks and wildlife – will be endangered by the pipeline’s construction, and should a leak or explosion occur the results would be devastating,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell said.

The Hays County General Counsel’s Office will be handling communications for executing the agreement and litigation. The plaintiffs will be represented by multiple law firms familiar with environmental and property rights issues. The Commissioners Court will set aside $75,000 for the suit.

On Monday, several Hill Country property owners filed a federal lawsuit against Permian Highway Pipeline LLC, Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline LLC and a number of other companies in hopes of preventing the pipeline to be built on their properties.

Kinder Morgan has faced several lawsuits prior to this one, including one from the City of Kyle, San Marcos and Austin.

Construction of the pipeline is already underway in West Texas. It will carry natural from that area all the way to an area near Katy, Texas.

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