Today the Texas Supreme Court denied a second motion for re-hearing by The Crawford Family Farm Partnership. They’ve been engaged in years of legal tussling to prevent the TransCanada Keystone pipeline from crossing their land. There have been temporary restraining orders, appeals, hearings, re-hearings. If there is a legal motion, its been filed. If there is a news publication, they’ve run a piece on the Keystone pipeline. The lawyers and PR folks are earning their keep.
Today’s ruling addresses a motion for rehearing over statutory construction in the Natural Resources Code. Everyone is arguing over the definition of Common Carrier. In 2013, a bill directly on this point was killed on a point of order. Today the Texas Supreme Court denied the second motion for rehearing by the Crawfords. The third time is a charm, will we see another motion for rehearing? Stay Tuned. This battle will continue in the Courts, at the Railroad Commission, and in the 2015 legislative session. [Texas Supreme Court] [Fuel Fix February 2014]