KEYSTONE XL: As Texas farm owners square off with TransCanada, pipeline opponents see an opening

[TexasTowelie]

BEAUMONT, Texas -- Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline are hoping to rally angry landowners across the state to take action in courtrooms and build on a precedent set last year in the Texas Supreme Court.

Yesterday at a court hearing held here at the Jefferson County Court at Law, a judge heard arguments over why TransCanada Corp., the company building the line, should be issued or denied a writ of possession that would allow its crews to access land ceded to it by Texas eminent domain law.

The case pits TransCanada against a coalition of rice farm property owners challenging the company's contention that the pipeline is a necessary public good.

A ruling from Judge Tom Rugg isn't expected until at least Sept. 24. But comments the judge made during yesterday's hearing suggest that a recent ruling by the state Supreme Court against Denbury Resources over a different pipeline will weigh heavily on his decision, even though the law seems clear that he's obligated to issue a writ in favor of TransCanada.

http://eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/09/13/1

[LoisB]

1. This is an important story.

Private business allowed to TAKE privately-owned property??

[white cloud]

3. And a foreign company at that

exporting their oil to China through our ports

[sonias]

2. Gutting home owner property rights

That should make landowners very, very angry.

And kudos to Julia Crawford and family for taking the first step
Stand With Julia

[mbperrin]

4. Thanks for the link. As a native Texan, I was raised to believe

that if someone tried to steal your land, you could simply shoot them.

Apparently, the opposite is true.

Boils my blood, and perhaps the Keystone folk will suffer a bout of bad luck.