A new statewide coalition of groups and advocates for private property rights is announcing its support for landowners along the path of the Keystone XL pipeline in Texas. The group charges that TransCanada, the company proposing to build the pipeline, has used eminent domain to bully landowners and condemn private property.
“Texas politicians talk tough on eminent domain, but with Keystone we have a pipeline acting as a ‘common carrier’ and bludgeoning private property owners with eminent domain when there’s a real question whether it meets the legal requirements to do so,” said Debra Medina, former Republican gubernatorial candidate and director of We Texans.
WHAT: Press conference on private property and eminent domain issues facing Keystone XL
WHEN: Monday, February 13th (various times, see below)
WHERE: Dallas – Turley Law Center, 6440 N. Central Expressway, 10:30am
Houston – Location & Time TBA
Austin – Texas Railroad Commission, 1701 Congress Ave., 3:30pm
San Antonio – Location TBA, 3:45pm
WHY: Landowners and prominent private property advocates uniting on Keystone XL
The coalition boasts a diverse group of advocates who are hosting press conferences around the state on February 13th. Press conferences will feature private property owners from East Texas who’ve had property condemned or been bullied into negotiated settlements and who say their story has not been told. The press conferences will be as follows:
• Dallas – Calvin Tillman, former mayor of DISH, TX will present landowners Julia Trigg Crawford and Eleanor Fairchild
• Houston – Debra Medina,executive director of We Texans and former Republican candidate for governor, will present landowner Mike Hathorn
• Austin – Linda Curtis, director of Independent Texans, and Jessica Ellison of Texans for Accountable Government will present landowner Julia Trigg Crawford
• San Antonio – Terri Hall, director of Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom, will present landowner Eleanor Fairchild
The coalition of advocates points to more than 80 cases in Texas where TransCanada, a foreign pipeline company, condemned private property belonging to Texans. The group also points out that the company misled landowners, telling them the pipeline had all necessary permits and repeatedly telling individual landowners that they were the last holdouts, making the pipeline seem inevitable and securing more favorable terms for the company.
The groups advocates draw parallels between the Keystone XL pipeline and the Trans-Texas Corridor, a proposed highway that many of them were active in defeating.
Debra Medina – 979.253.0220 Calvin Tillman – 940.453.3640 Linda Curtis – 512.535.7208
Terri Hall – 210.2750640 Jessica Ellison – 512.653.9179
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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The American people feel terrorized with the decisions Congress
is making to fatten their pockets. Please understand that this is like
modern Genocide for us ALL!! You are slowly but surely destroying
our environment and making it unlveable for generations to come!
Yes, we do feel terrorized.
Congress or the Senate should not be payed for making decisions
that are detrimental/destructive and genocidle for the American
people. They are only thinking of the ALIMIGHTY Dollar, but they
won’t be here, or their heirs to enjoy it…the $$, as they are slowing destroying the evnviroment with bad decisions!!!
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax writing of the united states house of representatives. members of the ways and means committee are not allowed to serve on any other house committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party’s congressional leadership