In the News: Keystone XL Pipeline and Eminent Domain in Texas

The Keystone XL Pipeline situation took an interesting twist yesterday, with Judge Bill Harris of Lamar County Court at Law and his decision to uphold TransCanada’s condemnation of a 50-foot strip of land across a Texas plaintiff's land.  As reported by the New York Times, Plaintiff Julia Trigg Crawford plans to appeal Judge Harris' ruling which was apparently emailed to parties from his iPhone (text of the alleged 15-word ruling reported here). For those unfamiliar with the Keystone XL Pipeline Project, TransCanada has applied to the U.S. Department of State to obtain a permit to build a 1,179 mile pipeline from Alberta to Nebraska with possible extensions in Texas and Oklahoma allowing for easy access to the Gulf Coast.  TransCanada's initial application was denied, however, a second application is now being reviewed by the Department of State (DOS). The DOS is expected to make a decision on this pipeline in the early part of 2013. For more information about this issue see the related resources listed below:

Map by TransCanada of the existing and proposed Keystone XL pipelines, available at http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/keystone-xl-pipeline/.

Related Resources:

Saul Elbein, Judge Upholds Eminent Domian for Pipeline in Texas, NY Times (Aug. 23, 2012).

 

Leslie Kaufman & Don Forsch, Eminent Domain Fight Has a Canadian Twist, NY Times (Oct. 11, 2011).

 

New Keystone XL Pipeline Application, U.S. Dep't of State (last visited Aug. 24, 2012) (project documents / press releases - includes DOS' January 18, 2012 Report to Congress).

 

Keystone XL Pipeline Project, TransCanada (last visited Aug. 24, 2012).

 

CRS Report, Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Key Issues (May 9, 2012).

 

Update

Nebraska's XL Keystone Pipeline Evaluation, Neb. Dep't Envtl. Quality (last visited Nov. 6, 2012).