The Austin, Texas suburb of Kyle has been sued in federal court by Houston pipeline operator Kinder Morgan because of an ordinance the company says is meant to keep a proposed natural gas pipeline out of town.
The 22-page lawsuit was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Austin and accused the Kyle city council of not only disrupting the pipeline route approved by state regulators but of overstepping state and federal law.
On July 2, the council passed the ordinance putting the city in control of construction of natural gas pipelines within the city limits. Passage came days after a judge ruled against opponents of Kinder Morgan’s $2 billion Permian Highway Pipeline which will carry gas from West Texas to the Katy natural gas hub near Houston. The 430-mile long system of 42-inch diameter pipeline will move 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day but is opposed by those who live in the city of Kyle.
Click here to read more in the Houston Chronicle.